1909.] Imports of Grain in the Cereal Year. 471 



The average price of British wheat, as ascertained under 

 the Corn Returns Act, has stood above 30s. per quarter since 

 the week ending May 23, 1907, and during the two weeks 

 ending August 7th and 14th, 1909, it reached 445. gd. per 

 quarter. The average for the harvest year 1908-9 is 36s. 6d., 

 which is a higher figure than has been reached in any year 

 since 1883. It differs but slightly, however, from that of 

 1897-98, which stood at 36s. 2d. per quarter. The average 

 price of imported wheat was 39s. id. per quarter, as against 

 365. \\d. in 1907-8 and 30s. $d. in 1906-7. 



English barley averaged 26s. \ \d. per quarter, which is the 

 highest since 1897-8, while oats at 185. md. were also above 

 the average in the previous six years. 



The table below shows the average prices of British wheat, 

 barley, and oats per quarter, as ascertained under the Corn 

 Returns Acts in each of the harvest years ending 31st August 

 since 1898. The quantities given in the table are the quanti- 

 ties returned as sold, from which the averages are 

 calculated : — ■ 



Harvest 

 Years. 



Prices per quarter. 



Quantities sold at certain 

 markets. 



1 Sept- 

 31 Aug. 



Wheat. 



Barley. 



Oats. 



Wheat. 



Barley. 



Oats. 



1897- 98 ... 



1898- 99 ... 



1899- 1900... 



1900- 01 



1901- 02 ... 



1902- 03 ... 



1903- 04 ... 



1904- 05 ... 



1905- 06 ... 



1906- 07 ... 



1907- 08 ... 



1908- 09 ... 



s. d. 

 36 2 

 26 0 



26 4 



27 1 



28 4 



26 5 



27 2 

 30 7 



28 9 

 28 1 

 32 9 

 36 6 



s. d. 

 26 11 

 26 1 

 25 2 

 25 0 

 25 11 



23 4 

 21 10 



24 6 

 24 2 



24 5 



25 8 



26 11 



s. d. 

 18 3 

 17 3 



17 4 



18 1 

 20 4 

 17 8 



16 4 



17 0 



18 5 

 18 4 

 18 2 

 18 10 



Quarters. 

 2,534,224 

 3,498,515 

 3,255,654 

 2,463,341 

 2,451,275 

 2,386,017 

 2,129,448 

 1,746,927 

 2,940,263 

 2,830,991 

 2,944,256 

 2,962,825 



Quarters. 

 3,339,842 

 3,629,760 

 3,355,241 

 3>i°9,i49 

 3,176,599 

 3,i5i,337 

 2,78o,473 

 3,141,058 

 3,202,613 

 3,376,6i5 

 3,564,908 

 2,972,889 



Quarters. 

 599,666 

 777,676 

 722,859 

 684,956 

 698,840 

 1,104,660 

 1, 132,086 



1,178,154 

 940,015 

 1,219,419 

 1,530,848 

 1,054,318 



The high price of wheat, however, appears to have had but 

 little effect on the imports, which amounted to 21,727,000 

 quarters, as compared with 21,363,000 quarters in 1907-8. 

 The variation in the home harvest almost adjusted the differ- 

 ence between the two years, so that the total supply of home 

 and imported wheat was practically the same both in 1908-9 

 and in 1907-8, viz. : 28,468,000 quarters, as compared with 



