110 REPORT 1864. 



head, thrice a day. I found families eating 440 Ihs. per week. Universally it is of 

 the highest importance that the farm labourer may gi-ow an abundant supply of 

 potatoes, since it converts his otherwise unprofitable time iuto monej', or saves the 

 expenditure of money in more costly foods. 



Stiff ars. — Cane-sugar or treacle, or both, are almost universally used ; the latter 

 in the place of fats chiefly, aud the former almost exclusively with tea or coffee. 

 Treacle, at the high price charged for it in villages, is not regai-ded as a cheap 

 food, since it sinks into the bread and the chiltben cannot taste it ; and wherever 

 milk is very abundant, as in Devonshire, the use of sugar is almost restricted to the 

 baby. It is eaten in Ireland with the maize when made into stirabout, but in 

 England it is less eaten by the poorer than by the better-paid labourers. Thus, 

 only 4 oz. per head were eaten in Wilts and Somerset, whilst IGoz.were consumed 

 in Lancashire. Sugar is everywhere regarded as a luxury. 



Separated sugars were obtained by 98 per cent, of the farm labourera in England, 



92 per cent, in Wales, 96 per cent, in Scotland, and 82 per cent, in Ireland ; and 

 the quantity per adult weeldy was — England 7^ oz., W'ales 7^ oz., Scotland 5^ 

 oz., and L-elaud 4f oz. ; so tliat Wales occupied the head, and Ireland the foot 

 of till? list, both in frequency and quantity. Of indoor operatives, silk-weavers 

 obtained 7.V oz., needlewomen 7^ oz., kid-glovers 4J oz., shoemakers 10 oz., and 

 stocking-weavers 11 oz.; and hence the average was higher than that of outdoor 

 labom-ers, as 8 oz. to 0-6 oz. The frequency with which they were obtained waa 

 the same in both classes on the whole average. 



Fats. — These are butter, dripping, lard, and suet. JButter is obtaiued almost 

 universally, and in the villages is dearer than in towns. In some Welsh farm- 

 houses it is made from the skimmings of the buttermilk. Dripping can be obtained 

 only in towns, or by the favour of some wealthy person in the neighboiu-hood; and 

 hence, although highly prized and by far the most econoiuical fat, its use is very 

 partial aud uncertain. Lard is the most largely obtained where the farm labom-er 

 is happy enough to Ivcep and kill a pig ; but such cases are a minority. In South 

 Wales the labourer reserves it for sal^, or to sharpen his tools, aud considers it too 

 valuable for liini to eat. When it must be bought, the supply is very intermittent 

 and small. Sxct is generally bought with the meat, in quantity sufficient for the 

 Simday's pudding; and where pudding is a daily item of dietary, as in Somerset, 

 the use of suet may be extended to one or two other days. Its use is very geueral 

 both in town and country popidations. Fats are regarded as a luxiuw, and cut off 

 when pressiu-e occurs, but not in quite the same degi-ee as sugar. Hence the least 

 supply is in the poorest, and the greatest in the better class districts, varjdng in 

 the different counties from less than .3 oz. to more than 10 oz. per adult weekly. 



Separated fats were eaten less universally and in less quantity than sugars. 

 Thus, of farm labourers in England 09 per cent., in Wales 92 per cent., in Scotland 



93 per cent., and in Ireland only 42 per cent, obtained separated fats; and the 

 weekly quantity per adult was — England .5^ oz., Wales 5| oz., Scotland 4oz., 

 and li-elaud 1 1 oz., sho-s\'ing great disparity in the quantity and frequency between 

 Ireland aud England ; but placing them in the same order as in that of sugars, 

 sUk-weavers obtained 4i oz., needlewomen 4|^ oz., kid-glovers 7 oz., shoemakers 

 5f oz., and stocking-weavers 3^ oz. — quantities much below those of out-door ope- 

 ratives in England, but identical on the average of both classes. 



Meat. — Speakiug generally, butchers' meat is the kind used in towns, and bacon 

 in the country; .30 per cent, of the latter never eat butchers' meat, but 99 per 

 cent, obtain one or the other kind. 



In towns, butchers" jueat can be obtaiued at any moment, in small quantities 

 and in cheap pieces : but in villages the supply is only weekly, and the price of the 

 inferior joints is greater than in to-wu. Some buy half an ox-head or a .sheep's 

 head, weeklv, and make broth and skim ofl' the fat for future use. Bacon may 

 sometimes be fed by the labourer ; aud when otherwise, it can be bought at any 

 time — often bought at the gi'ocer's shop on credit — can be cut into small portions, 

 supplying meat to the parents and dripping to the children — is fat, and thus sooner 

 satisfies — is more relishing than butchers' meat, and can be readily fried with cold 

 potatoes or ^vith cabbage. The American bacon can be bought at half the price of 

 the English bacon, but the poor prefer the latter. 



