172 
IRotes, Coinmuincations, anb 
THE COST OF WHEAT-GROWIXG 
There has been much correspondence in agricultui'al papers lately 
as to the cost of growing wheat, and it is well known that the 
cultivation of wheat in the United Kingdom has been gradually 
falling ofF in area, during the last twenty years, until the home 
growth has become almoit an unimportant item in the total re- 
quirements of the country. 
Wheat is not s(j much grown, chiefly owing to the fall in price 
from an average of about 48s. per quarter, previous to 1880, to an 
average of 32s. per quarter, which may be taken as that of the last 
five years. This means, putting the crop at 28 bushels per acre, a 
loss of no less than '11 . IGs. per acre, or 6,954,006?. on the acreage 
of 1890, a loss that has to be borne in varying proportions by the 
landowner, the tithe owner, the farmer and the labourer. The 
purpose of this paper is to estimate how far the farmer's loss is 
made good to him by diminished cost of production, and with this 
object the following tables have been drawn up, to show the difler- 
ence in the expenditure on growing an acre of wheat in the ten 
years pievious to 1880, and the last five years. 
Before 
1880 
Tlielast five rears 
£ s. 
a. 
£ s. ii. 
Filling, carting, and 
spreading dung 
10 
0 
. 10 0 
Ploughing 
10 
0 
. 10 0 
Rolling 
1 
6 
. 1 (! 
Dragging, 4.'f. ; har- 
rowing, 
7 
0 
7 0 
Drilling 
1 
. •> 4 
Harrowing 
1 
0 
1 0 
Bird scaring. l.s\ ; 
spring roll, 1*. . 
2 
0 
2 0 
Harvesting 
i:> 
0 
. ir. 0 
Threshing, 7.«. firf. ; 
dressing, \)<!. : 
and market ing, 
•is. 9</. 
i.-> 
0 
. 15 0 
Carried forward 3 3 10 
3 3 10 
