i6 



Our Imports of Feeding Stuffs. 



years may be taken at a minimum of 10,000,000 cwts., or 

 about 2,800,000 quarters of 400 lbs. 



With respect to maize some allowance must be made for 

 the relatively small demand for the cereal in the manufacture 

 of proprietary articles and confectionery as well as in the 

 brewing or distilling industries. An indication of the extent 

 of its employment in the brewing trade is furnished in a 

 Return* recently issued by the Department of Inland 

 Revenue, and it may be assumed that this and other indus- 

 tries do not absorb at the utmost more than ten per cent, ot 

 the total supply. On this assumption the quantity of maize 

 imported annually for consumption by live stock has amounted 

 in the past three years to 41,851,000 cwts., of the value of 

 ;£7,926,ooo. 



The imports of beans and pease include, as stated above^ 

 some varieties used for human consumption, but in the case 

 of these products it will be quite safe to estimate that the 

 proportion employed as fodder constitutes at least 80 per cent, 

 of the supply of each of them. 



Hay, oats, and oil-cake, including the cake represented by 

 the imports of oilseeds, present no difficulties. The entire 

 importation of these articles may be regarded as forming 

 part of the supply of feeding stuffs. 



Thus, with the allowances and deductions considered 

 above, an estimate of the average quantities and values of 

 the principal materials imported annually for the maintenance 

 of the live stock of the United Kingdom during the past three 

 years furnishes the following results : — 



Tons. ^ 



Barley ------ 500,000 2,059,000 



Maize 2,092,500 7,926.000 



Oats 820,500 3,996,000 



Beans and Pease - - - - 244,000 1,332,500 



Oil-cake 722,000 3,754,000 



Hay 116,000 388,500 



4,495,000 19,456,000 



It is probable that the figures relating to barley, maizej 



*H.C. 83, Brewers' Licences. The Return. shows that the quantity of rice, flaked 

 maize, and similar preparations used in the beer brewed in the United Kingdom in 

 the year ended September 30th, 1897, was 747,063 cwts. ; 194,944 bushels of 

 unmalted corn, and 2,569,457 cwts. of sugar and its equi v lents were also employed, 

 and these materials may have included a small quantity of maize and maize glucose, 



