Home Produce, Imports, and Coiisiunption of Wheat. 371 
of the crop about and immediately after harvest. It has been 
decided, therefore, not to alter the figure which the experimental 
results indicate for the average yield per acre in 1864; and 
even should the estimate be somewhat too high, any small error 
in that direction will probably be more or less compensated in 
the calculation of the aggregate produce, inasmuch as the area 
was said to be over average, whereas in the calculations it has 
been taken at the average only. 
On the other hand, there are two years in reference to which 
there could not be any doubt that the produce in the experimental 
field was, even for the seasons, exceptionally bad. These are 
1862 and 1853, to the latter of which reference has already been 
made. For these two years, therefore, we disregard the results 
in the experimental wheat field altogether, and arrive at an 
estimate of their average yield per acre as follows : — According 
to Mr. Caird, the general average of the country, irrespectively 
of fluctuations due to season, would be about 27 bushels at 
the dates in question ; and, after a careful consideration of the 
published statements respecting the crops, it is assumed that in 
1852 the yield per acre was one-sixth, and in 1853 one-fourth 
below the average of the period. 
With these two exceptions, then, and after reducing in all 
cases the actual number of bushels to bushels of the uniform 
weight of 61 lbs., we adopt the results on the selected plots in 
the experimental field as representing, as nearly as any existing 
data enables us to estimate it, the average yield of wheat per 
acre in England and Wales, in each of the sixteen years, 1852- 
1867 inclusive. The results will be found in the proper column 
in Appendix-Table I. p. 392. 
It will be admitted to be a confirmation of the approximate 
correctness of the estimates thus arrived at, that, taking the 
average of the results given for each of the 16 years, we 
get an average for the whole period of 28f bushels as the 
yield per acre of the country ; whilst Mr. Caird's estimate of 
26J bushels for 1850 and 28 bushels at the present time, would 
give us an average of about 27J bushels per acre per annum for 
the whole period. When, moreover, it is borne in mind that 
we have had during the period perhaps more than an average 
of favourable seasons, the agreement between the two estimates 
comes to be nearer than at first sight appears. 
For Scotland we have, as already noticed, returns of the 
number of acres under wheat in 1854, 1855, 1856, and 1857 ; 
and having also returns of the aggregate produce of wheat in 
each of those years, it is obvious that from these data the yield 
per acre each year can easily be calculated. The figures so 
obtained are — 
