36 



REPORT — 1898. 



Within tlie same periods wheat was imported from Asia and North 

 Africa by the ' bread-eating ' countries as follows : — 



Broadly speaking, 2,000 million bushels are now consumed in the 

 countries where they are grown, either as food or for seed, while the 

 balance is exported. 



E. 



At the present time the disproportion is even higher, owing to unit 

 consumption gradually increasing from year to year, accompanied by slow 



shrinkage in the wheat area. 



The area planted with the two great bread-making grains is actually 

 less now than thirteen years ago, despite enormous additions to the 

 population. The area under all the bread-making grains is absolutely 2*2 

 per cent, less than thirteen years ago, notwithstanding an increase of one- 

 fifth in requirements for bread. 



r. 



Notwithstanding this expansion the supplies of wheat were hardly 

 sufficient for the food demands of the world. As the area under wheat 

 has increased that under rye has diminished, with the result that scarcely 

 an acre has been added to the world's wheat and rye since 1890 ; and 

 there was in 1897 a deficit in the two principal bread-making grains of 

 more than 000,000,000 bushels. 



G. 



Stocks of wheat and flour in the United States were, relatively to 

 population, probably never smaller, if so small as now. The following 

 table (from Jiradstreet) shows the visible supply of wheat in the States on 

 June 1 since 1893: — 



Bushels 

 . 71,300,000 

 . 39,200,000 

 . 32,500,000 



