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.] WOOL: Sheep Lb. and Lambs'. 713,575,173 735,627,420 689,346,799 24,958,346 24,436,871 23,437,309 LANEOUS : Cwt. Cwt. 369,063 Cwt. 15,668,663 15,394,289 19,004,886 36,272,039 32,195,172 34,125,551 1,834,360 1,780,380 1,888,840 1,951,506 1,763,402 2,308,480 1,903,980 1,976,040 1,945,040 3,117,316 3,203,184 2,932,621 Lb. 23,069,122 15,907,161 15,738,320 Cwt. 779,641 618,375 599,346 542,454 905,425 1,413,166 1,455,806 694.057 1,319,516 1,336,991 1,450,260 1,248,672 7,594,592 7,647,457 7,788,397 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.' HAY CUT FROM CLOVER, SAINFOIN, AND ROTATION GRASSES. '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. Channel Islands1 49-446-9 (1879) 51-2 (1868 1535 1554 and 1893) 48.4 45.9 (1879) 50-3 (1868 1432 1330 1198 (1888) 1519 (1887) and 1893) 50.2 48.3 (1888) 52.8 (1868) 1698 1647 1459 (1888) 1964 (1893) 53.9 51.9 50-7 (1885) 539 (1893) 1968 1909 1710 (1888) 2300 (1893) 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 Tempera ture are for the previous seventeen years only. The Rainfall of 1898 and of the previous Ten Years, with the Averag ENGLAND AND WALES: Durham York Stamford Yarmouth Cambridge 20.9 -23 17.9 23 Cheadle Hereford Cirencester Rothamsted Loughborough 22.1 -31 18-7-35 20-0-23 27.8-18 20.9-23 In. cent. In. In. In. In. In. In. In. In. In. In. In 28-2 26-4 4 21.9 34.7 32.9 29.5 34.9 33-6 31-2 33-4 31-7 6 54-1 - 5 56-7 57 47.4 +17 41.5 43.7 39.7 45-6 42.8 41.5 44.5 46.9 36-840-3 40-4 41.6 41.9 39.5 40-4 38.9 39.9 31.8 +2 34-631-230-3 34.4 32-7 38.6-2 44.5 38.0 36.8 40.8 33.3 39.1 38.4 40.1 38-1 38-4 394 The Average Fall is in nearly all cases deduced from observations extending over the thirty yes The Mean Rainfall for each country is based upon observations made at a large number of station 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 |