302 



Exports of Agricultural Produce. 



three years, as compared with ,£130,000 for cattle, and £69,000 

 for sheep. The greater part of the half million sterling for 

 horses is credited to geldings, in which there is a con- 

 siderable trade with Belgium and the Netherlands, both these 

 countries purchasing large numbers annually at about 

 £10 each, while France has taken between 2,000 and 3,000 

 superior geldings yearly, valued at £50 to £55 each, for 

 riding and driving. Germany has recently been our chief 

 customer for stallions, and Brtish South Africa has ranked 

 second, but the average annual value of our exports of entire 

 home-bred horses was only £61,000 in the three years, or 

 about £125 per head, while an average exportation of 3,964 

 mares is declared to have realised £160,000 yearly — all but 

 a tenth of this sum being accounted for by consignments to 

 the Continent, mainly to Belgium and France, though the 

 purchases by Germany are increasing. Our exports of 

 cattle are not confined, as is sometimes supposed, to breeding 

 stock ; there is a steady trade in beef cattle with the 

 Channel Islands, whither we send from 2,000 to 3,000 

 beasts yearly, and Belgium also has been a purchaser of 

 beeves from this country. For pedigree stock, Argentina is 

 our principal customer ; her purchases of cattle amounted 

 in 1896 to over £60,000 for 989 animals, while in the same 

 year she took 7,206 sheep of the aggregate value of £88,867. 



Of home-grown meats there was an average exportation in 

 1894-96 of about 1 12,000 cwts., the consignments being nearly 

 equally divided between British possessions and foreign 

 countries. France and Brazil were the more important of the 

 foreign consignees. The major part of the shipments of 

 meat consists of bacon and hams, but fresh mutton and beef 

 are sent to the Channel Islands. 



Under " other animal products " in the above table are 

 included butter, cheese, margarine, condensed milk, wool, 

 skins, hides and animal fat. The average annual value of the 

 exports of British and Irish butter in the three years under 

 consideration was £92,000, over one-third of this sum being 

 accounted for by consignments to Portugal, while Gibraltar, 

 Malta, and British South Africa were debited with about half 

 the remainder. Cheese is not exported to the same extent as 



