G38 Prices and Quantities of Live Stock &c. in Ireland. 
It will bo seen that the prices for oxen and heifers were lower in 
1892 than in any other year since 1852. 
The maximum and minimum average prices on record are : — 
Highest average Lowest average Difference 
£ s. d. £ ,<?. d. £ s. d. 
Oxen . . 18 5 0 in 1880 . 7 5 0 in 1850 . 11 0 0 
Heifers . 18 17 G in 1882 . 8 15 0 in 1830 . 10 2 6 
Ewes . . 3 15 0 in 1865 . 1 3 0 in 1820 . 2 12 0 
Wethers . 3 3 1 in 1871 . 1 4 3 in 1831 . 1 18 10 
With regard to ewes and wethers the average price is seen to be 
lower in 1892 than in any year since 1849. Attention may be 
directed to the great fall in the prices of ewes in 1879, owing to the 
wet summer and the fluke disease consequent thereon. Their value 
is influenced by the price of lambs, and does not fluctuate in the 
same ratio as that of wethers. The rapid rise of both in 1865 was 
due in a measure to wool, which, simultaneously with flax, rose to a 
very high price after the American Civil War. Mutton at the same 
time became dearer. 
Official Prices of Irish Agricultural Produce. 
The Irish Land Commision, which is more interested in an 
accurate table of the prices of Irish agricultural produce than any 
private individual, made no arrangements for systematic returns 
until 1887, six years after its establishment. By the provisions of the 
Land Act of that year (50 & 51 Vic. cap. xxxiii. sec. 29) it was 
compelled to do so for the temporary adjustment of judicial rents, 
and since then annual returns have been published, of which a 
summary is given in Table II. 
Table II. — Average Prices of Agricultural Produce in Ireland, for 
the Six Years, 1887-92 ( collected by the Irish Land Commission). 
Year 
Wheat, 
per cwt. 
Oats, 
per cwt. 
Barley, 
per cwt. 
Potatoes, 
per cwt. 
Hay, 
per cwt. 
Flax, 
per stone 
1887 
1888 
1889 
1890 
1891 
1892 
s. d. 
6 3 
G lli 
G 5i 
6 8i 
7 2" 
G 
s. d. 
4 101 
5 4 
5 Si 
G 1 
G 10 
6 Gj- 
s- d. 
G 0 
G 7 
G 7 
G Cl 
7 Of 
7 0i 
s. d. 
2 3 
2 GJ 
2 8)- 
3 01 
3 Gf 
2 5| 
d. 
2 61 
2 0 
1 9 
i in 
3 3 
3 Ilf 
s. d. 
5 11 
6 4 
6 8i 
6 2f 
5 11 
G 81 
Year 
Butter, 
per cwt. 
Fork, 
per cwt. 
Beef, 
per cwt. 
Mutton, 
per cwt. 
Wool, 
per cwt. 
s. d. 
5. d. 
S. 
d. 
5 . 
d. 
d. 
1887 
90 7 
40 5i 
so 
4 
5G 
9 
10 
1888 
89 10 
42 Si 
53 
6 
65 
2 
10 
1889 
96 0 
43 Ilf 
56 
01 
67 
4 
n 
1890 
86 Gf 
40 1 
57 
1 
G7 
Of 
H 
1891 
103 61 
39 5| 
64 
H 
57 
101 
9| 
1892 
107 1£ 
48 2 
52 
4 
58 
1 
8 
