392 AGRICULTURAL MACHINERY IN RUSSIA. 

the ten years ended with 1899. Drought is said to be 
the principal cause for this contraction in the flocks 
and herds of the Colony. From 1898 onwards a state of 
drought prevailed throughout Queensland, and in 
the western districts there had been no improvement 
up to July of the current year. The net exports of live cattle 
and sheep in 1899 amounted to 188,000 and 263,000 head 
respectively; in addition 386,000 cattle and 480,000 sheep 
were preserved, frozen, or boiled down, while 254,000 cattle 
and 1,018,000 sheep were killed for food for home consump- 
tion. Forty-seven establishments were in operation in 1899 
for the treatment of animal products, viz.:—13 meat preserv- 
ing works, 25 boiling down and extract factories,and 9 bacon- 
curing factories. | The quantity of meat extract produced in 
1899 Was 1,925,000 lbs; of tallow the output was 19,200 tons ; 
of lard 222,000 lbs, and of edible fats 985,000 lbs. The wool clip 
amounted to 70,896,000 lbs. as compared with 86,589,000 lbs. 
in 1898. Bacon factories are stated to have made pig-keeping 
more profitable than formerly, and the number of swinereturned 
in the past year, 139,000, is the largest yet recorded in Queens- 
land. 
In the report of H.M. Consul-General at Odessa, recently 
received at the Foreign Office, it is stated 
Demand for Asri- that the demand for agricultural machi- 
cultural Machinery ae ; ' rao 
in South Russia, "TY 15 1mcreasing each season in the 
district of Theodosia, and during last 
spring about fifteen sets of steam threshing machines were 
sold, most of which were supplied by German makers. 
Hitherto this kind of machinery has been supplied almost 
entirely by British makers, as German machines were not 
suited to the country, but during the last two years German 
manutacturers have been copying those of the British 
makers, and in order to push their own goods on the market 
have sold them somewhat cheaper. For instance, in 1899 
British makers increased their prices over those of the pre- 
vious year by about seven per cent., whereas the German 
