I TJie ¥tdare of Agricultural Competition. 763 
Prices for 1890 will probably work out about the same as for 
1889, as they were higher for about half the year, and lower 
for the other half. The averages for 1891, I think, will be a 
little higher for beef, but decidedly lower for mutton. 
It is the lower quality of meat which has suffered chiefly 
lifrom foreign competition. For instance, while the average 
for beef of first quality fell from 5s. Wd. per 81b. in 1880 to , 
4s. 10(Z. in 1889, that of inferior quality dropped from 4s. 6cZ. 
|to 2s. 4(i. With mutton the contrast is still more marked, the 
falls for the period being from 6-?. lOci to Gs. M. for first quality, 
land from 5s. M. to 3s. Qd. for inferior quality. 
It is hardly necessary to state that the principal sources of 
the increased supplies of imported meat are America for live 
cattle, beef, pork, bacon, and hams ; and Australia. New Zealand, 
and the Argentine Eepublic for mutton. Our imports of cattle 
have fluctuated a great -deal, but reached their maximum in 
1890, while, this year, they have declined greatly. Competition 
from European countries has fallen off" very much during the 
last ten years, until, in 1890, supplies from these sources were 
only about one-fifth of the total. This is only to a small extent 
owing to cattle-disease restrictions, for it is to be noticed in 
respect of every important European source of supply, and the 
decline has continued up to the present time in respect of 
countries for which the restrictions have not altered in receipt 
■ years. Our prices have not lately been high enough for cattle 
of the quality of the bulk of the former European supplies. 
Still, our imports from the United States have so greatly 
increased that, with a moderate increment in the Canadian 
supply, the total, as already stated, was greater in 1890 than 
ever before. This is not sui'prising, as the number of cattle, 
other than milch cows, in the United States, increased from over 
15,000.000 in 1870, to over 21,000,000 in 1880, and to nearly 
37,000,000 in 1890. 
The increase in Canada has been small, and the addition to the 
imports from the Dominion is probably chiefly owing to American 
cattle being to some extent shipped from Canadian ports. Im- 
ports of fresh beef also reached their maximum in 1890, the 
proportion received from other countries than the United States 
being less than one-tenth, w^hile it was much smaller in some 
previous years. The supply of frozen beef from Australasia has 
made some advance, but is still very small. It will be seen, 
then, that, under existing conditions, the question of competi- 
tion in beef-production is dependent mainly upon the ability of 
American producers to keep up or increase their shipments. 
Shippers have been greatly helped in recent years by the severe 
