330 HISTORY OF AGRICULTURE 



Civi. 



1879 262,765 



1903 113,998 



1904 313.667 



190S 108,953 



1906 232,619 



1907 202,324 



In recent years they have been a loss to the grower ; as the 

 average crop is a Httle under 9 cwt. per acre, and the total 

 cost of growing and marketing from £'^^ to £4^ an acre, it is 

 obvious that prices of about £0, per cwt., which have ruled 

 lately, are unremunerative. 



However disastrous to the farmer and landowner, the in- 

 creased quantities and low prices of food thus obtained have 

 been of inestimable benefit to the crowded population of Eng- 

 land. In 1851 the whole corn supply, both English and foreign, 

 afforded 317 lb. per annum per head of the population of 

 27 millions. In 1889 the total supply gave 400 lb. per head 

 to a population of 37^ millions at a greatly reduced cost.* 

 The supply of animal food presents similar contrasts ; in 

 1 85 1 each person obtained 90 lb., in 1889 115 lb. The 

 average value of the imports of food per head in the period 

 1859-65 was about 2^.] in the period 1901-7, 6^s^ The 

 products which have stood best against foreign competition 

 are fresh milk, hay and straw, the softer kinds of fruit that 

 will not bear carriage well, and stock of the finest quality. 

 These islands still maintain their great reputation for the 

 excellent quality of their live stock, and exports, chiefly of 

 pedigree animals, touched their highest figure in 1906: 



Average per 

 No. Total value. head. 



£ £ 



Cattle . . . 5,616 327,335 58 



Sheep . . 12,716 204,061 16 



Pigs . . . 2,221 20,292 9 



^ R. A. S. E. Journal (1890), p. 29, 

 " Board of Agriculture Returns (1907), p. 187. 



