Imports of Agricultural Produce. 



443 



Condensed milk reached a maximum in 1898, and the 

 im.ports of fresh milk and cream were somewhat higher than 

 in 1897, the greater part arriving in the first three months of 

 the year. 



Our imports of other animals and animal products are 

 exhibited in the following table : — 



Table III. 



Imports of Miscellaneous Animals and Animal Products. 



Description. 



Quantities. 



Values. 



1897. 



1898. 



1897. 



1898. 



Horses - - No. 

 Eggs - Gt. Hund. 

 Poultry and Game 

 Lard - - Cwts. 

 Tallow and Stearine , , 

 Hides - - - 

 Wool (Sheep and 1^^^. 

 Lambs ) - J 



49,519 

 14,031,754 



1,740,468 

 1,950,925 

 1,195,755 

 735,627,420 



42,921 

 14,424,582 



2,106,870 

 2,021,921 

 1,236,511 



689,346,799 



1,254,362 

 4,356,807 

 730,725 

 1,993,143 

 1,869,929 



2,750,157 

 24,436,871 



£ 



1,145,328 

 4,456,123 

 636,488 



2,887,774 

 2,066,433 

 2,906,066 



23,437,309 



It will be noticed that the imports of eggs were again 

 greater, being about 400,000 great hundreds more than last 

 year, the highest total previously shown. Russia, which had 

 attained first place among our contributors of eggs in 1897, 

 was again the source of our largest supplies with 3,646,000 

 great hundreds, an increase of over half a million in the year, 

 while from Denmark and Canada substantial increases are 

 also noted, but fewer French eggs by over half a million 

 great hundreds were received. To these alterations in the 

 geographical distribution of the origin of our imported eggs 

 is due the slightly lower value quoted in 1898, the declared 

 value of Russian eggs being about 23 a shilling in 

 1898, while of French, the most expensive, 15 are returned as 

 worth that sum. 



Lard came in augmented quantities, while its value was 

 returned at, on the average, 27s. 5d. per cwt., as compared 

 with 22s. I id. in 1897. 



The imports of wool amounted to 689,346,799 lbs., a decline 

 of about 46 million lbs. The quantity retained for home 



