The Rothamsted Wheat Experiments. 



eight years, to 64-3 per cent, of the total consumed over the 

 fourth period of eight years. The least proportional quan- 

 tity supplied from foreign sources in any one year was 15'4 

 per cent, in 1854-5 (2,983,000qrs. imports less exports against 

 1 9,410, 742qrs. available for consumption), and the greatest 

 proportional quantity supplied from foreign sources in any one 

 year amounted to 76'5 per cent, in 1879-80 (16,409,933qrs. 

 imports less exports against 21,457,773qrs. available for con- 

 sumption). The amounts carried over from one harvest year 

 to another will, of course, vary exceedingly according to cir- 

 cumstances, the influence of which cannot with any certainty 

 be estimated. There is no reliable information as to the 

 quantity of home-produced wheat held in farmers' hands, 

 the quantity consumed by farm-stock or otherwise used, or 

 the quantity of foreign wheat held over in the granaries. 

 Then, again, the actual length of the period to be provided 

 for, dependent on the earliness or the lateness of consecu- 

 tive harvests, is a point not to be overlooked ; it was estimated 

 that, at the harvest of 1865, there still remained over from 

 the extraordinary crop of 1863, and the abundant one of 1864 r 

 wheat equal to from one-third to one-half of an average crop, 

 and that, even at the harvest of 1866 some of the crop of 

 1863 remained unthrashed. It may, indeed, be stated gene- 

 rally, that, as a rule, the excesses follow, as they should r 

 seasons of high productiveness, whilst the deficiencies follow 

 seasons of low productiveness. 



