MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION.

The horse of Abyssinia.-Hon. Robert P. Skinner, United States commissioner, Marseille, France, in the course of a lengthy article on Abyssinia, says this about the horse of that country:

The Abyssinian horse is small but resistant. He attains ordinarily a height of 4 feet 8 inches, and is usually employed as a mount. The best breeds come from the plains between Ankobar and the south of the Blue Nile. The Emperor is in possession of a large number of very beautiful animals. Abyssinian horses are sold in Madagascar, Reunion, Mauritius, and the Transvaal. The price of an ordinary animal varies from $4.82 to $11.58, the highest prices being obtained near the coast. Exceptionally fine horses bring from $38.60 to $115.80.

Government aid to horse breeding in Italy. In the course of an article on the general subject of Government aid to industries in Italy, Das Handels-Museum, a prominent commercial paper of Vienna, Austria, makes the subjoined comments on Government aid to horse breeding:

Horse breeding in Italy is not carried far enough to supply the annual demand of the country. This amounts to fully 80,000 head, and the supply is only 30,000. To cover this deficiency $5,790,000 are paid to foreign parts for horses. Twenty thousand ponies are imported annually from Dalmatia and the neighboring territory. Ligurian horse breeders claim that this is an injury to the production of horses in Italy, "for," say they, "the sharp competition results in driving out Italian competitors; besides, the reputed inferior quality in the imported horses discourages Italian breeders in their efforts to improve the quality of Italian horses." An act presented by the Government in June, 1904, looking to the improvement of horses, has been received with gratitude and joy by the breeders. In order to bring the number of the stallions owned by the State up to 800, as provided for in the law of 1887, and to encourage horse breeders to use the finest stallions and mares for the purposes of breeding, $96,500 were provided for in the budget to be used during 1904-5. This sum is to be employed as follows: $44,390 for the purchase of young breeding stallions, $19.300 for prizes for mares used in breeding, $14,475 for subsidies for organizations of breeders and for supplying stallions and mares at cheaper rates to unions and private parties, $6,755 for foals, $47,720 for veterinary surgeons, and $3,860 for transportation, saddles, medicine, etc. The division of the subsidies in the following years will be made after preliminary consultation with the council of State officials charged with the matter of horse breeding. The number of members in this council will be increased, according to the law of 1887, to 9, of whom 6 must be horse breeders. In accordance with a royal decree, a breeding place may be established in the royal forests of Sardinia.

In discussing the act connected with the breeding of horses, attention has been directed to the importance of laying duties on imported horses, the more particularly as Italy is just now discussing the question of trade treaties.

It is argued that Italy should do as France did before 1897 and as the United States is doing at present-that is, tax in the inverse ratio of size and value of the animals. In this way those coming from Dalmatia, which now have the largest influence on the market, will have to pay the highest duty. It was made evident that in this way a certain good would be done and that increased prices would result which would benefit the agricultural sections of Italy that now stand very much in need of horses.

German imports of horses.-Consul Brainard H. Warner, jr., at Leipzig, Germany, reports that Germany imports more horses and exports fewer horses than any other country. He states that good draft, carriage, and saddle horses are always in demand, and that the best of these are always imported. The following table shows the number and value of the horses imported by Germany for the three years of 1899, 1901, 1902, and also the country from which imported.

Number and value of horses imported by Germany, 1899, 1901, and 1902.

The cattle industry of Brazil. The following observations are from Export, a German commercial paper:

The cattle industry is the most important one in this State. Besides inland consumption, about 400,000 cattle are used for jerked beef. The largest part of the beef is sent to Rio de Janeiro, Bahia, and Pernambuco, where 18 pounds of the product is worth from $1.43 to $2.86. Two hundred and twenty pounds of fresh beef will give 110 to 120 pounds of jerked beef. A steer weighing 300 pounds, without bones, is worth $11.90; a fat cow, about $9.50; a sheep, from 70 cents to $1.90, and 2.2 pounds of fresh beef, 4.7 to 7.1 cents. The jerked beer is here worth double the above price. In the cities of Rio Grande do Sul 22 pounds of jerked beef are worth from 7.1 to 9.4 cents.

Jerked beef is prepared in a primitive way, which not only causes a loss of taste but of the nutritive value. It is therefore an unsatisfactory method of preserving meat.

In Rio de Janeiro 2.2 pounds of fresh beef cost from 23.8 to 28.5 cents, and in Manaos 47.6 to 59.5 cents.

The exports of live cattle from Rio Grande do Sul are also increasing, but not as they would if transportation facilities were better. Any undertaking which would result in exporting beef in a better form than that of jerked beef would be exceedingly profitable and would make the jerked-beef industry almost

impossible. Although the climate is more unfavorable than at Chicago, there are a number of methods used there which could be employed here, and, in addition, cattle are cheaper here.

The live-stock industry in Japan.-Hon. E. C. Bellows, consulgeneral at Yokohama, furnishes the Consular Report for August, 1904, some interesting facts about the agriculture of Japan. The following extracts relate to the animal industry:

Stock raising is still in its infancy in Japan and is not likely to become an important industry owing to the high price of land and the coarseness of the native grasses, most of which are not fit for food for cattle or horses. Oats and maize as foods for farm animals are practically unknown, and what passes for hay is a kind of straw, which is chopped fine before it is fed to horses. A little less than one-sixth of the arable land consists of plains and pastures, and of this about two-fifths belong to the State and the imperial household, the remainder being owned by private stock raisers, who raise stock principally for tillage and draft animals. The natives are not accustomed to the use of butter or milk and do not usually like the taste of them, and their religious prejudices have hitherto prevented the general use of meat of any kind, although they now seem to be developing a taste for all these kinds of foods.

Farmers do not engage in poultry raising to a sufficient extent to provide the eggs needed for home consumption, these being imported from China to the value of over $500,000 per year.

Efforts have been made to introduce sheep raising and swine raising, but with only partial success. It is claimed that the conditions of climate and food supply present no serious obstacles to the success of sheep farming, but the statistics of 1901 showed only 2,545 sheep in the country. Swine raising has succeeded better, but can not yet be spoken of as an established industry of much importance, the number of swine having remained in the vicinity of 200,000 for several years.

The Government carries on an experimental farm, and there is connected with it a laboratory for investigating the diseases of cattle and poultry; also a cattle-breeding pasture for improving the native breeds of cattle for meat and dairy purposes, and two horse-breeding pastures for promoting the introduction of better horses.

Live stock in Mexico.-Hon. James A. Le Roy, consul at Durango, gives in the following table the number of live stock in the State of Durango and also for the entire Republic:

Number and value of live stock in the State of Durango and total number and value of live stock in Mexico in 1903.

This gives an average value, in United States currency, per head, for the country at large, as follows: Mules, $14.47; cattle, $7.27; horses, $5.83; donkeys, $3.80; hogs, $1.57; sheep, 80 cents; goats, 78 cents. In some districts in particular, and elsewhere on the part of certain individuals, there have been efforts in recent years to improve the stock, especially of horses and cattle, by importations from the United States and Europe. This effort at "breeding up" has already resulted in marked improvement in places. Speaking of the country in general, however, only a beginning has been made in this direction.

Venezuelan cattle for Cuba.-During the month of August, 1904, according to Norman Hutchinson, secretary of legation, there were shipped from Puerto Cabello, Venezuela, on 14 steamers, 13,631 head of cattle, all destined for Cuban ports. This total is 1,806 greater than the shipments from the same port to Cuba in August of 1903. If August is a fair average, the total shipments in 1904 would equal 163,572.

Number of cattle in Australasia.-The following table gives the number of cattle in Australasia for the years 1881, 1891, 1901, and 1902:

Number of sheep and cattle in Buenos Ayres.-The following table gives the number of sheep and cattle in Buenos Ayres for a

Importation of cattle into the Transvaal.-During the year 1903 the colonial government of the Transvaal imported cattle for the purpose of stocking the various government farms as follows, as reported by Hon. Joseph E. Proffit, consul at Pretoria, South Africa:

From March to May, 1904, the number of 11,206 head were imported from Texas by private parties. Of this number 154 died from accident on shipboard.

American cattle and mules in northern Brazil. The report comes from Hon. K. K. Kenneday, consul at Para, Brazil, that large cattle steamers from the United States arrive there loaded with fine breeding cattle and mules. The consul says the natural conditions of the upper Amazon country are very favorable to cattle raising, and these imported cattle are for the purpose of improving the native stock.

Russian association for breeding hogs and cattle.-It is stated by Hon. R. T. Greener, commercial agent at Vladivostock, Siberia, under date of November 13, 1903, that a Russian association for breeding hogs and cattle was started near Harbin, in 1902. The object is to raise cattle of good breeding and Yorkshire hogs. They had 900 head of the latter on hand in 1903, and the purpose was to increase the number to 7,000. It is proposed to manufacture smoked hams and dry sausages.

The frozen-meat trade with Great Britain. The following details of this trade are obtained from a circular issued by the Colonial Consignment and Distributing Company, with headquarters in London, England, which operates very largely in frozen meat from the Australasian colonies.

MUTTON AND LAMB.

Imports of frozen sheep and lambs into Great Britain, 1903 and 1904.

Carcasses. Carcasses. Carcasses. Carcasses. Carcasses. Carcasses.