for Consumption in the Metropolis. 
475 
realized for them cannot possibly have compensated the graziers, 
even though large quantities of manure may have been obtained 
for the land, and even though a certain amount of capital has been 
saved in horse-labour. What then is the actual result as respects 
an increased quantity of food ? On this head we have made nu- 
merous inquiries amongst the largest butchers in the metropolis, 
and nearly the whole of them have testified in favour of early 
maturity in beasts ; but they do not bear the same testimony as 
regards sheep, which latter too frequently carry less internal fat 
and come lighter to the scale than formerly, taking bulk into 
consideration. In order to illustrate these remarks by actual 
figures, we have collected the following statistics of the average 
dead weights of the leading breeds slaughtered last year, com- 
pared with 1839 : — 
Comparison of Dead Weights of Beasts. 
1839. 1859. 
Stones (8 lbs.). Stones (8 Ihs.). 
Short-horns 95 100 
Herefords 90 93 
Devons 85 87 
Long-horns 85 83 
Crosses (English and Scotch) 90 98 
Pure Scotch 90 90 
Irish (Crosses) 80 92 
Welsh Runts 87 87 
Thus it will be seen that in the weight of the pure breeds very 
little change has taken place, the short-horns excepted, and 
that the increase in the supply of food is chiefly the result of 
crossing. 
As regards the weight of the foreign beasts imported into this 
country since the passing of the present tariff, we may observe 
that, for some considerable period, it did not exceed, on the 
average, more than 60 stones : at present it has increased to 73 
stones ; and here we may further remark that the quality of the 
stock, especially from Denmark, has shown little or no improve- 
ment, compared with some fifteen or sixteen years since. The 
experiments, however, made in fattening foreign beasts in this 
country, where successful, have turned out some extraordinary 
beasts, and, had it not been for the heavy losses by disease, very 
large profits would have been realized by our graziers. We may 
give an instance of an experiment in Norfolk. An eminent 
grazier, residing in that county, purchased, in the early part of 
last year, 200 Dutch beasts in London at 13Z. each. They were 
grazed upon strong land and afterwards stall-fed. After the lapse 
of five months, about 100 of them were again disposed of in the 
London market at 25/. each ; but out of the number originally 
purchased nearly 50 of them died, and the remainder produced 
