756 The Future of Agricultural Comiietition. 
use of malt substitutes in brewing, and tlie reduced price ot 
wheat, which always rules the values of other kiuds of grain to 
some extent. The principal increases in imports have come frora 
Russia, Roumania, Turkey, and Austria-Hungary, while France, 
Holland, and Denmark have fallen behind. Countries outside 
Europe send us very little barley. The United States, having 
imported extensively from Canada, will have less than ever to 
spare under the new tariff. Canada may send us what she has 
been accustomed to supply to the United States, if she can grow 
sufficient of the two-rowed barley of good enough quality. 
Some barley of excellent quality has been grown ; but it is easy 
to select a few choice samples in almost any country, and 
one report states that a large proportion of the two-rowed 
variety that has been produced is not good enough for our malt- 
sters, while it would not pay to send any considerable quantity 
of grinding barley to this country in the future, any more than 
it has paid in the past. Apart from this question of Canada 
as a new source of the supply of malting barley, the fact that 
our imports have not increased during the last seven years 
seems to show that our prices have not been such as to tempt 
foreign growers to grow more barley to send us, and that there 
is no reason to apprehend any great increase of direct competi- 
tion. On the contrary", if more wheat be grown, as it must be, 
the probability is that barley will be less cultivated. As far aa 
grinding barley is concerned, there may be greater indirect 
competition, if the imports of maize continue to inci'ease as they 
increased in 1890, and if other feeding-stuffs keep up the 
advance made in recent years. 
It is curious to notice that, until 1890, there was no 
marked addition to our recent supplies of maize. We imported 
nearly 42,000,000 cwt. in 1878, and have never received so 
much since, except in 1890, when the total was over 43,000,000 
cwt. During the five years preceding 1890 we imported 
about 2,000,000 cwt. per annum more maize than in the five 
years preceding 1885. The principal contributors of the in- 
crease were Roumania, Russia, and the Argentine Republic, 
America having sent us less, although the area of the American 
maizo crop was extended by 12,000,000 acres in the ten years. 
British farmers as a class would not desire to see the supply of 
maize fall off, as they use it extensively for feeding purposes. 
This year it has come in comparatively small quantity, and one 
result has been a great advance in the prices of cake. As far 
as barley-growers are concerned, a reduction in maize imports 
would probably bo beneficial ; but competition in meat produc- 
tion would be harder to bear in consequence. Maize will be 
