14 American Economic Association [812 



From these figures it appears that in 1870 the pro- 

 portion of cereal product to population was slightly be- 

 low the proportion existing in 1840, but that otherwise 

 there has been an increasingly greater proportion of pro- 

 duct to population through the whole of the period from 

 1840 to I900. 1 



The comparatively light cereal crop reported in 1870 

 was doubtless largely due to the unusually poor corn 

 crop of that census year 2 and to the disordered conditions 



x The following table, except the item of "all cereals," is compiled 

 from bulletin No. 24, of the Division of Statistics, U. S. Department 

 of Agriculture, on "Relations of Population and Food Products in 

 the United States," and shows the per capita production of certain 

 food products, as reported to the Census Office during the period from 

 1850 to 1900 : 



igoo 1890 1880 1870 1860 1850 



Barley, bu 1.57 1.25 .88 .77 .50 .22 



Buckwheat, bu 15 .19 .24 .25 .56 .39 



Corn, bu 34.94 33.89 34.98 19.73 26.68 25.53 



Oats, bu 12.40 12.92 8.13 7.32 5.49 6.32 



Rye, bu 34 .45 .39 .44 .67 .61 



Wheat, bu 8.66 7.48 9.16 7.46 5.51 4.33 



Rice, Ibs 3.29 2.05 2.19 1.91 5.95 9.28 



Potatoes, bu 3.60 3.47 3.38 3.72 3.53 2.84 



Sweet potatoes, bu 56 .70 .67 .56 1.34 1.65 



Sugar, Ibs 6.54 5.34 5.09 3.45 10.09 14.29 



Syrup and molasses, gal. . . .58 .83 .93 .61 .74 .55 



Pulse, bu 19 .15 .19 .15 .47 .40 



Cattle, no. ... ... . . .69' .82 .72 .62 .81 .77 



Swine, no .83 .92 .95 .65 1.07 1.31 



Sheep, no 52 .57 .70 .74 .71 .94 



All cereals, bu 58.7 56.2 53.8 36.0 39.5 37.5 



2 Average yield per acre of cereal crops as estimated by the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture for the census years 1870, 1880, 1890 and 1900. 

 (Bushels.) 

 Year. Corn. Wheat. Oats. Barley. Rye. uck- 



1899 25.3 12.3 30.2 25.5 14.4 16.6 



1889 27.0 12.9 27.4 24.3 13.1 14.5 



1879 29.2 13.8 28.7 24.0 14.5 20.5 



1869 23.6 13.6 30.5 27.9 13.6 16.9 



Department of Agriculture, Year Book (1899), pp. 759-763. 



1 Cattle over one year. 



