PARLIAMENTARY PUBLICATIONS. 121 


average annual number was 1,371; in 1884-88 it was 1,646; 
in 1889-93, after the passing of the Margarine Act, it rose to 
2,421, whilst during the five years 1894-98 it averaged 3,023 
per annum. The figure for 1898, it will be observed, 
practically coincides with this average. 
The cases in 1898 were. distributed all over Engiand and 
Wales. The only counties in which no prosecutions took 
place were Suffolk, Montgomery, and Radnor; though in 
16 counties the number of prosecutions was less than 10. In 
London the prosecutions numbered 1,076, whilst Lancashire 
took the second place with 337, and Stafford, Warwick, York, 
West Riding, and Middlesex had each over 100. 
Among other cases it may be observed that there were 
5,715 prosecutions for offences against the Diseases of 
Animals Acts, in 4,651 of which fines were imposed, whilst 
two cases were punished by imprisonment. This number 
Was considerably |in excess of any previous year, the 
average for the five years 1894-98 being only 2,846. The 
prosecution for offences relating to dogs are shown separately, 
and amounted to no less than 43,210; fines were imposed in 
39,070 of these cases, 10,180 of which were tried in London. 
The highest number of prosecutions in any previous year was 
31,434 in 18095, the five-year average being only a little over 
28,000. 

Agricultural Statistics of Ireland, with detatled Report on 
Agriculture, for the year 1899 [Cd. 143]. Prace 108d. 
The first instalment of the Agricultural Statistics of 
Ireland for 1899 were noticed in the last number of the 
Fournal. The figures show a decrease in the area under 
crops (including grass for hay) ot 77,000 acres, the total last 
year amounting to 4,627,545 acres. The area under pasture, 
however, increased, by nearly 105,000 acres, to 10,575,012 
