302 THE BOOK OF WHEAT 



Growing wheat is often pastured in the fall or spring. At 

 times this can be done without injury. On the Pacific coast as 

 much as 10 per cent of the wheat is sometimes cut green for 

 the purpose of making wheat hay. This practice is often fol- 

 lowed in Oregon. After the wheat is threshed the straw is 

 often used as fodder in the United States, and also in other 

 countries. 



Other Uses of Wheat Straw. In the time of Fitzherbert 

 wheat straw was used in England to thatch houses. In the Old 

 World some varieties of wheat are grown solely for making 

 hats and other articles of plaited straw. It is also used for 

 various other purposes, such as packing merchandise and mak- 

 ing mattresses and door-mats. Another great use is in paper 

 mills, where it is at times bought at $3 to $4 p.er ton. Efforts 

 have been made in this manner to save some of the straw that 

 is going to waste at the rate of millions of tons per year in 

 North Dakota. The problem of using wheat straw economic- 

 ally is no nearer solution than it was 20 years ago. In the 

 Northwest and on the Pacific coast it is often worse than use- 

 less, because it must be burned to g'et it out of the way. 



The Per Capita Consumption of Wheat is not an index to 

 the bread consumption of countries where rye bread is used. 

 Including the amount required for seed, the estimated per cap- 

 ita consumption in the United States for 1902 to 1904 inclusive 

 was 6.23 bushels. The following estimate of the per capita 

 consumption of wheat in certain countries was presented to 

 the British Royal Commission on Supply of Food and Raw 

 Material in Time of War, by Mr. W. S. Patterson of the Liver- 

 pool Corn Trade Association. 



PER CAPITA CONSUMPTION OP WHEAT 

 I. IN IMPORTING COUNTRIES 



Bushels 



United Kingdom 5.6 



Germany 3.2 



Belgium 7.2 



France 7.8 



Holland 3.9 



Italy 4.4 



Bushels 



Spain 5.3 



Portugal 2.3 



Sweden 2.0 



Greece 3.3 



Austria-Hungary 3.6 



Switzerland ,....5.7 



II. IN EXPORTING COUNTRIES 



Bushels 



United States 4.7 



Canada 5.5 



Russia 2.6 



Balkan Provinces 4.3 



Bushels 



India 0.7 



Australia 5.5 



Argentina 4.0 



