1875.] 



343 



[Delmar. 



gives an average allowance of grain per capita of about 12^ bushels, 

 which agrees with all of the estimates that are regarded as reliable. 



For the year 1873, I have the following very explicit and detailed ac- 

 count, recently transmitted to me from Spain : 



Account of the produce of Breadstuffs in Spain and the Balearic and Ca- 

 nary Islands for the year 1873. 



Reckoning the population in 1878 at about 17,200,000, the result is an 

 average of all kinds of breadstuffs of 13.8 bushels per capita, and of 

 grain alone 170,000,000 bushels, or about 9.9 bushels per capita. Allow- 

 ing 23,000,000 bushels for the export of grain, the consumption would be 

 147,000,000 bushels, or 8.5 per capita. 



I am inclined to believe that this account, though it agrees very well 

 with those relating to previous years, underrates the true product 

 of Spain, though perhaps only to a small extent. Altogether it is the best 

 account we have, and must be taken as an exponent of Spain's present 

 capacity to produce breadstuffs until a more definite account can be ren- 

 dered. Grouping together such of the preceding accounts as seem reli 

 able, we have the following comparative results : 

 Comparative Estimate op the Breadstuffs product of Spain 

 AT Various Periods. 



These results, in the transcendantly important department of agricul- 

 tural production, show the same remarkable advance during the past 

 twenty years as has already been noticed in other respects, and fully 

 establish the claims set forth at the outset of this paper. 



It will perhaps be noticed that, except as to exports in the year 1873, I 

 have taken no notice of the imports and exports of breadstuffs. The 

 reason for this was that among the periods under review relating to agri- 

 cultural production, 1873 was the only year in which the foreign com- 

 mercial movement of breadstuffs appeared wortby of note. 



