4:Ij'8*= 202 Pfhctical Agriculture. 
Consumption 
of oilcake. 
Imports of corn 
for feeding. 
Imports of 
artificial 
manure. 
fewer cattle than Holland, but nearly four times the number of 
sheep. Belgium has more cattle than we have, but only one-fifth 
of the sheep in propoition to cultivated area. The horse stock 
in Holland and Denmark exceeds ours. But an excess of horses 
used in agriculture detracts from the produce available as food ; 
and, area for area, England raises more animals for the butcher 
than any Continental country. 
In connection with this high stocking of the farms of the 
United Kingdom may be taken the fact, that in the year 1876 
we imported 190,225 tons of oilcake, and 1,998,130 quarters of 
linseed, all but a portion of it undoubtedly used for feeding 
purposes, either as linseed or when made into cakes, and 
equivalent, at about 14 tons of cake per 100 quarters of seed, 
to about 280,000 tons of oilcake. The linseed and oilcakes 
together were equivalent to a year's consumption of about 470,000 
tons, or one ton on every lOO acres of land under cultivation. 
The imports of maize amounted to 39,958,000 cwts., valued at 
12,744,000/. ; of barley, 9,770,000 cwts. ; of oats, 11,204,000 
cwts. ; of peas, 1,609,900 cwts. ; and of beans, 4,601,000 cwts. ; 
these grains mainly imported for feeding purposes, with the excep- 
tion of a portion of the barley used for brewing and distilling, 
being valued at 10,920,000/. 
The manures imjiorted in the same year included 211,000 
tons of guano, less 53,000 tons exported ; 165,000 tons of nitrate 
of soda ; a large proportion of the 4200 tons of bones, burnt or' 
not, or as animal charcoal and phosphates, and other materials 
for the manure-makers not enumerated. But the artificial 
manures applied are principally manufactured in this country. 
CHAPTEE II. 
Peices of Agricultural Products. 
Corn returns. Com. — A standing complaint of British farmers is brough! 
against the Corn Returns, or the system by which 'the average 
prices per imperial quarter of British wheat, barley, and oats an 
ascertained and declared for the purpose of computing the annua 
amount of tithe rentcharge, which is based upon the average o 
those prices for the year. The quantities of these different grain: 
sold, and the prices realised in 150 selected markets, according 
to weekly returns received by the inspectors and officers o, 
Excise, under the Act of 27 and 28 Vict., cap. 87, are noi 
believed to constitute a fair test of the amount of produce growi 
or of the prices actually made by the growers. Probably a coal 
siderable proportion of the corn sold in the sam])lc markets i| 
not entered in the returns by the millers and merchants ; raani 
