THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE, 



153 



licensed brewers being only 2,41G, but the victuallers 

 have run up to 92,0G5, and those licensed to sell beer 

 to be drunk on the premises to 3D,78!.t. 



We come now to speak of the quantity of malt used 

 by these several classes, which in the excise year ending 

 10th of October last, was as follows, in round numbers 

 by Bushels. 



Brewers 20,000,000 



Victuallers 7,400,000 



Beer retailers 3,200,000 



Total . . . 30,600,000 



A second return, however, places the consumption of 

 malt in anotlior shape, giving tlie whole consumption 

 of malt for the year, in the liiugdom, at 4,o5G,G43 qrs. 

 Of this quantity, 4,161,471 qrs, were used by brewers 

 and victuallers, and 394,172 qrs. by retail brewers, 

 while 077,134 qrs. were used for distilling purposes 

 and exportation, and theriefore under the 18th and 

 19th Vic. cap. 94, were free of duty. The propor- 

 tionate consumption of malt in each country was as fol- 

 lows : 



England 

 Scotland 

 Ireland 



4,142,587 qrs. 

 153,505 ,, 

 260,491 „ 



Now, taking the average of a quarter of malt for 3 

 barrels of beer, we get at the quantity of ale and beer 

 relatively made in each country, which would be for 



England 

 Scotland 

 Ireland 



12,427,761 barrels. 

 460,695 „ 

 781,473 ,, 



Total 



13,669,929 „ 

 492,117,447 gallons. 



Equal to . . . 



Deducting the exports of last year from this, we have 

 476,458,131 gallons left for home-consumption, which, 

 if equally divided over the whole population of say 

 28,000,000, would give a proportion of 17 gallons per 

 liead as the average annual consumption. But Ire- 

 land and Scotland drink but a small quantity of malt 

 liquors. 



Viewed relatively in the proportion of malt made, 

 tlie consumption of beer and ale per head would be as 

 follows, in.the three countries, after allowing for the 

 beer exported, which we will even assume to be all 

 English make : 



England. — Malt made (deducting therefrom that re- 

 quired for the beer exported), 4,520,000 quarters; 

 this would give a proportion of 28 gallons per head 

 of the population per annum. 



Ireland. — Malt made, 219,866 quarters, equal to 

 659,598 barrels of beer ; or about 5 gallons per head 

 to the population. 



Scotland. — No certain criterion can well be arrived 

 at, since a greater portion of the malt made there is 

 used for distilling purposes ; but if we were to take 

 half the quantity as used for beer (whicli we may 

 fairly do) we shall find that the relative consumption 

 of beer per head in Scotland is about 7 gallons per 

 annum. 

 Belonging properly to this inquiry would be the cor- 



responding anrount of spirits drunk in each country ; 

 but in tliis investigation we are confining ourselves to 

 the malt liquors, leaving distilled spirits for another 

 review. Tlie progress of malt consumption has de- 

 clined, rather than increased, in the last quarter of a 

 century, as the following figures will show : 



BUSHELS OF MALT CONSUMED. 



1821 . . . 27,889,210 



1835 . . . 42,392,432 



1850 . . . 40,744,752 



1857 . . . 40,298,513 



This decrease would seem to arise from a greater de- 

 gree of temperance in the consumption of fermented 

 and distilled beverages, for it is not counterbalanced by 

 any increase in the manufacture of British spirits, 

 or in the imports of wines and foreign spirits. The 

 value of the beer and ale exported has largely increased, 

 keeping pade with the emigration of our countrymen. 

 The value has risen from ^'229,824 in 1835 to 

 £558,794 in 1850, and .£1,592,130 in 1857. 



Compared with other countries, our drinking pro- 

 pensities, thirsty souls as we are represented to be, is 

 exceedingly moderate. Although our consumption of 

 beer is comparatively large, yet ai'dent spirits is pro- 

 portionately less indulged in than in many countries. 

 Five thousand gallons of distilled liquors are stated to 

 be used daily in Califoi-nia, or the sixth of a gallon per 

 head per diem. In New South Wales the consumption 

 to each man, woman, and child is 3| gallons of spirits, 

 2f gallons of wine, and 6 gallons of malt liquor per 

 annum ; in Victoria 6^ gallons of spirits, 3 gallons of 

 wine, and 4 gallons of malt liquors ; while in Tas- 

 mania it is about the same. In the United Kingdom 

 the average consumption per head is about one gallon 

 of spirits, a quart of wine, and 17 gallons of beer. 



In the United States, the proportion of grain used 

 for malting and distillation, according to the last census, 

 was as follows in round numbers : 11,000,000 bushels 

 of distilled Indian corn, or in the ratio of 1 in 54 to 

 the whole crop ; 3,200,000 bushels of rye, or 1 in 5 

 bushels ; 57,000 bushels of oats, or 1 in 2,618 bushels; 

 barley malted 3,788,000 bushels, or 3 in 5 bushels, 

 and 1,294 tons of hops malted. The products from 

 these were 44,134,000 gallons of whiskey, 6,500,000 

 gallons of rum, and 1,778,000 gallons of ale; and 

 considerable quantities of beer, wine, and spirits are 

 also imported. 



There are two other Parliamentary returns bearing 

 on the subject under notice, which relate to the cul- 

 ture and trade in hops. By one of these, we find that 

 the number of acres under culture in hops last year 

 was 50,975, and that 47,717,5611bs. were charged with 

 duty; the total sum realized being .£417,526, at an 

 average of £S 3s. 9d. per acre. The exports of British- 

 grown hops last year amounted to 1,450, 1041bs., and 

 of foreign hops 375 cwts. We imported of foreign 

 hops, in 1857, 18,711 cwts., ofwhich 14,426 cwts. were 

 entered for home consumption at the duty of £2 58. 

 the cwt. ; and there were in bond on the 1st of January 

 this year 9,873 cwts. of foreign hops. 



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