TABLE XVII. Quantity and Value of Wool, Wood, Seeds, Manures, &c., Imported into the United Kingdom in the Years 1896 to 1898. [Compiled from Trade and Navigation Returns.] LANEOUS: Cwt. Cwt. Cwt. Cotton, Raw Hemp 1,834,360 Flax 15,668,663 15,394,289 19,004,886 36,272,039 32,195,172 34,125,551 1,780,380 1,888,840 1,951,506 1,763,402 2,308,480 1,976,040 1,945,040 3,117,316 3,203,184 2,932,621 1,903,980 Dry Lb. 779,641 618,375 599,346 Cwt. Cwt. 542,454 905,425 1,413,166 1,455,806 604,734 638,668, 694,057 1,319,516 1,336,991 1,450,260 1,246,252 1,278,818, 1,248,672 7,594,592 7,647,457 7,788,397 Oil-seed Cake. | 316,073 Tons 391,247 1,589,214 1,834,729 2,284,244 TABLE XVIII.-Summary of Agricultural Produce Statistics (Beans, Peas, Potatoes, Roots, and Hay) for England, Wales, Scotland, and Great Britain in 1898 and in 1897.1 Great Britain 6,218,000 6,628,000 352,271 354,588 HAY CUT FROM CLOVER, SAINFOIN, AND ROTATION GRASSES. 17.65 18-69 17-35 A similar summary for Wheat, Barley and Oats in 1898 and in 1897 is given in the preceding number of the Journal, vol. ix. (part iv.) 1898, p. 808. Rainfall, Temperature and Bright Sunshine experienced over England and Wales during the whole of 1898, with Average and Extreme Values for Previous Years. NOTE.-The above Table is compiled from information given in the Weekly Weather Report of the Meteorological Office. For the Channel Islands the " Averages" and "Extremes" of Rainfall and Mean Temperature are for the previous seventeen years only. The Rainfall of 1898 and of the previous Ten Years, with the Average 32.7 23-3 26.6 In. In.. In. In. In. In. In. In. In. In. In 27.3 28-2 25-0 960 24-3 254 22-1 27-1 20-0 22-3 27-2 296 22-6 25-9 Llandovery 47.5 5 30-9-12 38.9 27-632-0 25.9 31-1 Clifton. Cullompton. Scilly (St. Mary's) "Mean for the whole of 40-6 28-9 26.2-18 31.3 285 29-0 33-1 25-6 28-3 33-5 28-828-8 29-5 32-0 21.9 34.7 32.9 29.5 34.9 33.6 31.2 334 31-730-0 28-5 36.8 30-2 32-7 41-9 30-8 28-1 28-2 30-8 47.4 +17 41.5 43.7 39-745-642-8 41.5 44.5 46.9 36-840-3 40-4 'The Average Fall is in nearly all cases deduced from observations extending over the thirty years The Mean Rainfall for each country is based upon observations made at a large number of stations JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY OF ENGLAND. ABORTION, BARRENNESS, AND FERTILITY IN SHEEP: AN ABSTRACT OF RECORDS OBTAINED FOR ARY THE YEAR 1896-97. 17 1890gricultural INTRODUCTION. ATENT In July, 1897, in response to a request, the Royal Society was kind enough to issue a circular to a large number of flockmasters, asking for information on the subject of abortion, barrenness, and fertility in their flocks for the season 1896-97. I am now further indebted to the courtesy of the Society, and would here gratefully acknowledge the obligation, for permission to publish the results of that work in their Journal. The inquiry was made primarily for the purpose of finding out the amount of abortion and barrenness which flockmasters on the average experience, and at the same time of discovering the relative liability to loss from these causes in different breeds of sheep, and their relative fertility. The information asked for did not include suggestions for the cure or prevention of abortion and barrenness, nor does this paper claim to supply satisfactory information on these points; a far more exhaustive inquiry is requisite for such a purpose. At the same time, during the progress of the work, certain possible causes, which may influence the proportion of abortion and barrenness experienced, have been suggested, and to some of these I have drawn attention in the following pages. The issue of the request by the Royal Agricultural Society resulted in the return of 413 circulars with more or less informaVOL. X. T. 8.-38 Q |