16 BULLETIlSr 695, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



crop. Therefore about 10 per cent of the potato crop is used annually 

 for seed and starch making. There is no information concerning the 

 quantity or fraction of the crop fed to lire stock. As a matter of 

 general information, however, the fraction is beHeved to be very 

 small. It appears that if the computed per capita consumption of 

 potatoes is diminished by about one-tenth, the remainder will indicate 

 closely the per capita consumption of this crop for human food, live- 

 stock feed, and waste. After thus making the computation, the 

 per capita consumption of potatoes for human food and animal feed, 

 with unknown waste, was 3.39 bushels during the 10 years 1905-1914, 

 or about ISf bushels per family. This average otherwise expressed 

 is equivalent to about 1^ pecks per family per week throughout the 

 whole year, and for all the families in the United States. For no 

 10-year period previous to 1905-1914 has consumption of potatoes 

 in this country per capita and per family been as large as the averages 

 for this period. 



PERCENTAGE OF PRODUCTION. 



In the 10-year averages the consumption appears to be greater than 

 the production and has been so in fact for the reason that in excep- 

 tional years, when production has been very deficient, imports have 

 relativelylargelyincreasedfor these deficient years. In a consideration 

 of the subject year by year, however, it is certain that since 1894 the 

 more general fact has been that the consumption has been below the 

 production. The difference either way in a consideration by years 

 is usually very small both absolutely and relatively. 



During the period 1866-1874 the consumption of potatoes was 99.8 

 per cent of the production; in 1885-1894 the consumption was 101.4 

 per cent of the production; in the following 10-year period it was 

 100.3 per cent; and in 1905-1914 it was 100.4 per cent of the pro- 

 duction. In a consideration of this subject by years the percentage 

 is more generally a fraction imder 99 per cent than it is above 100 

 per cent. 



Since a portion of the potato crop is always exported, the con- 

 sumption of home-grown potatoes must necessarily be under 100 

 per cent of the production. The percentage is almost invariably 

 a fraction under 100, and in only one year since 1865 is it as much 

 as a fraction below 99 per cent of the crop. 



PERCENTAGE OF THE SUPPLY. 



What has been said under the preceding head concerning the con- 

 sumption of potatoes as a percentage of production appHes without 

 material qualification to the consimiption of potatoes as a percentage 

 of the supply. During aU years the fraction is usually more than 

 99| per cent. 



