March 1896.] IMPORTS AND EXPORTS OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE. 477 



Butter. 



From the next table, exhibiting the sources of supply, it 

 will be seen that nearly all countries, except Germany, sent 

 more butter to this country in 1895 than in 1894. The increased 

 Australasian shipments were mostly from Victoria, whence the 

 largest consignments arrive during the winter months ; the 

 imports from Victoria alone in the three months December 

 (1894), January, and February, exceeding the receipts from 

 France during the same period. The increase in " other 

 countries " is due principally to the United States and Canada, 

 while among them is now included Argentina, whence we in 

 1895 obtained 3,676 cwts., most of it in the last three months. 



The average value per cwt. of the butter imported from all 

 sources in 1895 was bl. Os. 9d, or 3s. 9d less than in 1894, and 

 about 9s. below the average of 1892 and 1893 respectively. 



Countries. 



Quantities. 



Values. 













1894. 



1895. 



1894. 



1895. 





Cwts. 



CAVtS. 



£ 





From Denmark - - - 



1,102,493 



1,162,770 



5,843,954 



5,948,463 



„ France - 



424,645 



454,843 



2,351,867 



2,444,734 



„ Australasia 



292,097 



313,398 



1,429,977 



1,424,585 



„ Sweden - - - 



266,306 



310,809 



1,413,779 



1,644,111 



„ Holland - 



165,157 



191,221 



831,951 



939,326 



„ Germany 



137,755 



112,338 



702,960 



565,093 



„ Other countries - 



186,382 



280,303 



882,211 



1,278,918 



Total 



2,574,835 



2,825,682 



13,456,699 



14,245,230 



Margarine. 



Almost the whole of the imports of margarine came as usual 

 from Holland. The total again showed a marked decline, 

 occurring mostly during the first half of the year. The value 

 per cwt., as deduced from the trade returns, only shows a very 

 slight falling off from the values of the preceding year. 



Cheese. 



As will be seen from the table belovv, there was a slight decline 

 in the imports of this commodity, entirely attributable to the 

 decrease of 25 per cent, in the shipments from the United 

 States ; Canada again showing a small increase. The imports 

 from the United States were comparatively small during the 

 summer months, at the time when they are usually heaviest. 

 Despite the smaller importation of foreign cheese, the year was 

 marked by a considerable drop in the price of ordinary cheese in 

 Great Britain, and there was also some fall in the prices of better 

 qualities. This has caused the total value of the imports of 



