296 



Consumption of Food Products. 



supply per head did not reach six bushels on more than 

 eight occasions between 1852 and 1890, the normal ration being 

 apparently from a half to a quarter of a bushel short of that 

 allowance. In each of the past five years, however, the 

 supply has exceeded five and three-quarter bushels per head. 

 Thus, either the supply has been in excess of the actual 

 demand, or more wheat is consumed now than was formerly 

 the case, and in this connection it should be observed that it 

 is believed that the low price of the cereal in question 

 has induced farmers to use it to some extent for stock- 

 feeding. But whatever may be the true explanation of 

 the larger supplies, it is difficult to find in the figures 

 quoted above evidence that the inhabitants of this country 

 individually eat less bread than they did twenty years ago. 



Potatoes rank next in importance as an article of food. 

 The earliest official records of the production of potatoes in 

 the United Kingdom are for the year 1884. In order to 

 ascertain what changes have occurred in the consumption of 

 this vegetable, the average annual supply available for food 

 has been calculated for periods of three years since 1884, after 

 making an allowance of 12^ cwts. per acre for seed. The 

 results show that the supply has dropped from approxi- 

 mately 347 lbs. to 305 lbs. per head of the people. The 

 decrease in the population of Ireland, where potatoes are 

 the principal food of the poor, must not be overlooked, 

 but the diminution in the consumption is greater than 

 would be explained by the loss of consuming power conse- 

 quent upon Irish emigration. Moreover, an examination of 

 the statistics of the area under potatoes for the past twenty 

 years shows that while in Ireland there has been an absolute 

 decline of nearly 100,000 acres, in Great Britain the acreage 

 has, if anything, also declined, or at least remained stationary, 

 and the imports per head have decreased by about 50 per cent, 

 since 1883. It would appear, therefore, that the importance 

 of this vegetable in the average dietary of the population has 

 diminished. 



Oatmeal was formerly an important article of food among 

 the labouring classes of Scotland and Ireland, but this has 

 apparently been to some extent displaced in recent years by 



