33^ 



Hop Supply of United Kingdom. 



622,000 cwts. The earlier portion of this table, however, 

 comprises two years (1888 and 1890} in which the home pro- 

 duction was exceptionally low, and it would perhaps on that 

 account be nearer the fact to assume that the amount annually 

 available for consumption in this country is represented by 

 the average of the last five years, viz., about 680,000 cwts. 



Consumption of Hops in the United Kingdom. 



Year. 



Area. 



Production. 



Net Imports of 

 follow ng Year. 



Consumption. 



Proportion of 



Foreign to 

 Total Supply. 





Acres. 



Cwts. 



Cwts. 



Cwts. 



Per Cent. 



1888 - - 



58,490 



281,291 



181,343 



462,634 



39'2 



1889 - - 



57>7 2 4 



497,811 



175,534 



673,345 



26-1 



1890 - - 



53,96* 



283,629 



185,526 



469.155 



39'5 



1891 - - 



56,142 



436,716 



176,834 



613,550 



28-8 



1892 - - 



5 6 > 2 59 



413,259 



185,716 



598,975 



31-0 



1893 - - 



57,564 



414,929 



168,316 



583,245 



28-9 



1894 - - 



59,535 



636,846 



204,087 



840,933 



24*3 



1895 - - 



58,940 



553,396 



193,738 



747,134 



25'9 



1896 - - 



54,217 



453,188 



148,660 



601,348 



247 



1897 - - 



50,863 



411,086 



223,747 



634,833 



35'2 



Average 



56,37° 



438,215 



184,350 



622,565 



29*6 



It would, nevertheless, appear probable that the quantity has 

 increased during the latter part of the decade, inasmuch as 

 the average of the earlier five years works out to only about 

 560,000 cwts.* It is not possible to give an estimate of the 

 quantity which may be considered available for consumption 

 in the year now closing, since it has often happened that the 

 imports during December have been considerably in excess 

 of the amounts received in other months ; in 1898, for instance, 

 some two-fifths of the whole year's importation arrived in 

 November and December. It may be stated, however, that 

 the imports during the ten months ending October, 1899,. 

 were slightly below the receipts during the corresponding 

 period of 1898, and that last year's production in England 

 was some 55,000 cwt. below that of 1897. 



A rough estimate of the fluctuations in the price of hops 

 from year to year may be obtained from a consideration of 

 the average values at which the hops imported and exported 

 were stated in the Trade Returns. It will be noticed that 



The evidence before the Committee on the Hop Industry as to the stocks or* 

 hand at the end of the eighties is somewhat conflicting. 



