Consumption of Potatoes. 



341 



for Ireland alone estimates of production are available for 

 the past thirty years. The average estimated yield per acre 

 during the past five years for the entire country has been 

 4-62 tons. The potato-fields of Great Britain alone yielded in 

 that period 6*05 tons per acre ; but in Ireland the average 

 crop per acre turned the scale at only 3^ tons. 



The supply of potatoes available for consumption yearly 

 since 1892 in the United Kingdom is shown approximately in 

 the following table. Statistics of the exports of potatoes are 

 published only in the annual statement of trade, so that the 

 figures in the table are for calendar years.* It may be assumed 

 that the crop of one season added to the net imports of the 

 succeeding year will give, with a sufficient approach to 

 accuracy for all practical purposes, the supply available to 

 meet the requirements of the year subsequent to that in 

 which the crop was harvested. This assumption has been 

 followed in the preparation of the table below, which shows 

 the home production after deducting 12I cwts. per acre for 

 seed, the imports less the exports, the total supply available 

 for consumption as food and for manufactures, and the 

 supply per head of the population. 



Year. 



Acreage. 



Home 

 Production 

 (Deducting 



Seed). 



Net 

 Imports. 



Total 

 Supply. 



Supply 

 per Head 

 of 



Population. 





acres. 



tons. 



tons. 



tons. 



lbs. 



1892 - 



1,265,386 



5,299,181 



117,252 



5,416,433 



318 



1893 - - 



1,251,556 



4,851,734 



52,148 



4,903,882 



286 



1894 - 



1,221,544 



5,777,128 



79,324 



5,856,452 



338 



1895 - - 



1,251,703 



3,879,858 



174,139 



4,053,997 



232 



1896 - 



1,269,406 



6,271,256 



93,163 



6,364,419 



361 



1897 - - 



1,182,130 



5,524,404 



172,045 



5,696,449 



320 



Our average requirements of potatoes for all purposes 

 would appear from the above figures to amount to about 



* The exports of potatoes, of British, foreign, and colonial production, w^re not 

 separately recorded in the Trade Returns until 1892. In that year the total quantity 

 exported was 33,164 tons. The shipments in 1893 amounted to 892,580 tons; and 

 in the following year to 558,650 tons, owing to large purchases by the United States ; 

 but the Transatlantic consignments have since fallen to inconsiderable proportions, 

 and the total exportation of potatoes to all countries last year only slightly exceeded 

 24,000 tons. , , 



