March 1896.] 



GENERAL AGRICULTURAL NOTES. 



451 



Practically, the whole of these imports came from Sweden 

 and Holland ; the larger quantities in January — February 1894, 

 came from the latter country, but since that date Holland, except 

 in December 1894 — February 1895, has never sent 1,000 gallons 

 in any single month. The large quantities rece ved here last 

 winter were all fi'om Sweden, and these do not seem to have 

 been repeated. The considerable imports during the autumn and 

 winter of 1894-95, which attracted so much attention, appear 

 to have been only temporary. 



The extreme fluctuations in the value are to be attributed to 

 the varying proportions of cream, which is not separately 

 distinguished. 



Agricultural Labour in January. 



In the Labour Gazette for February the agricultural corre- 

 spondent to the Labour Department of the Board of Trade, re- 

 ported, on the basis of returns from 180 correspondents in diff'erent 

 parts of the country, and from one agricultural labourers' union,, 

 that, generally speaking, employment in agricultural districts in 

 England was fairly regular during the month of January, and 

 more regular than in the previous montli of December. Districts 

 where employment was less favourable in January than in 

 December were exceptional. In Essex this was the case in two 

 unions, owing, it is said, to lack of threshing, consequent on the 

 decrease in the acreage of corn. In four unions in Kent the 

 state of employment in January is said to have compared 

 unfavourably with that of December. An improvement in the 

 state of employment in January took place in Suffolk, which 

 was the county in the month of December where it was the 

 most unfavourable. With but few exceptions the state of 

 employment in January 1896 is reported to have compared 

 favourably with that of 1895. But in the latter period field 

 work was greatly interfered with by snow and frost, whereas 

 the month of January last was conspicuous for mild and dry 

 weather. 



Farm Animals in the United States. 



According to the figures lately issued by the Statistician to 

 the United States Department of Agriculture, the estimated 

 numbers of live stock in the United States in January 1896 

 exhibited a general decrease as compared with the estimates 

 made at the same period in 1895. The following comparative 



