British Agriculture. 
279 = i.3 
being many times more valuable than a pound of corn. All 
kinds of salted meat were expected, and came ; but fresh meat 
[except as live animals), from its perishable nature, was not 
anticipated in any considerable quantity. The cost of trans- 
porting live animals from any great distance must obviously 
present a very important difficulty. And a further and most 
serious objection arose, in regard to those from nearer European 
ports, in the risk of such live animals bringing with them across 
the seas the contagion of cattle-plague, or other pests, dangerous 
to the live-stock of this country. All this could be avoided by Fresh meat 
the importation of fresh meat, and a plan with this object, re- Ameri'-a 
sently adopted by an American company, has been attended rapl/rise^of 
with a large measure of success. The steam-ships in which the price in 
meat is carried have chambers fitted in such a manner that the Europe, 
meat can be kept fresh during the voyage by currents of air cooled 
by ice. During the last winter and spring large shipments 
lave thus been successfully made, and most of them have arrived 
In good condition. Should this plan prove, on the whole, safe 
ind successful, we shall have the vast prairies of America added 
;o our own pastures as new sources of supply. This will be a 
jreat benefit to the consumers of meat in this country, but 
jiobably more by preventing a further rapid rise in the price 
)f meat than by effecting a reduction upon it. The American 
jeople are themselves much greater consumers of meat, man for 
nan, than the English, and when prosperity returns to that 
country their home consumption will increase, and the surplus 
or exportation be diminished. INIoreover, the English market 
vill take only the best quality. Under any circumstances the 
English producer has the advantage of at least a penny a pound 
n the cost and risk of transport, against his Transatlantic com- 
etitor, — an advantage equal to 4Z. on an average ox. Of this 
atural advantage nothing can deprive him ; and with this he 
ay rest content. 
The proportion in wliich the people of this country are 
ependent for their principal articles of food on home and 
oreign supply, was the subject of an inquiry by me in 1868, in 
■ I paper read to the Statistical Society. At that time I found Proportion of 
' 'he foreign supply to be in the proportion of one-fifth of the 5!°™'^ , 
VI 11 • ! • !• • - foreign supply 
vnole. In the ten years since that time the importation oi of food in the' 
neat has more than doubled, butter and cheese have risen nearlv United King- 
- ')ne-third, wheat more than a third, and other grain has doubled. 
' More than one-fourth of our total consumption of agricultural 
' broduce is now obtained from other countries. 
••^ ' But it is a question of interest, both to the home and foreign 
'''Sroducer, to ascertain more closely the proportion of the two 
' "^hief articles, bread and meat. In the past ten years there has 
