382 Home Produce, Imports, and Consumption of Wheat. 
period must have been considerably below tlie average of the 
sixteen years According- to published reports, a good deal of 
the crop of 1849 remained at the harvest of 1850; whilst the 
imports were very large, and foreign wheat had accumulated 
up to the harvest of 1851, though the home-produce was said to 
be closely used up. The reports Avould show, however, that 
stocks of both home and foreign wheat were, perhaps, more 
than usually small at the harvest of 1852. Most probably the 
consumption per head was lower at that date ; but we must 
confess to the want of sufficient information to enable us to 
decide upon the exact explanation of the facts. 
With regard to none of the other years is there any difficulty 
in showing how the estimated average requirement for the period 
could be met ; but rather, on the contrarv, during some of the 
later years, the figures indicate a surplus which the mere average 
consumption would not dispose of. 
Thus, the two deficient years of 1855-6 and 1856-7 stand 
between the abundant harvest of 1854, and the both early and 
abundant one of 1857. Again, the deficiency of the harvest- 
year 1859-60, appears to be compensated by the surplus of 
the two preceding years. Lastly, the deficiency Avithin the 
harvest-years of 1866-7 and 1867-8, is, apparently, more than 
compensated by the surplus available for carrying on from year to 
year since 1861-2. Indeed, according to the figures, we ought 
at the present time, to have considerable stocks of either home 
or foreign wheat on hand. There is, however, no reason to suppose 
that such exist. So far as the harvest-year just past (1867-8) is 
concerned, the high prices are sufficient to show that there was 
throughout a less than average supply; but it roust not be 
forgotten that the period of consumption has been considerably 
shortened both by the somewhat late harvests of 1867, and the 
very unusually early one of 1868 ; and hence the figure repre- 
senting the total quantity available per head has in reality had 
to meet the requirements of considerably less than the assumed 
period of twelve months. 
The great fluctuation in the proportion in which the home 
supplies provide the amount required of the staple food of the 
population from year to year, chiefly due to season, but partly 
also to variation in area, and partly to gradual increase in popu- 
lation, is strikingly illustrated by the figures given in Table III. ; 
but more strikinglv still by those in Table IV., below; which 
shows the proportion in which the estimated produce of wheat 
of each harvest provided the amount required during the suc- 
ceeding harvest-year, supposing the amount per head required in 
each individual year to be represented by the average amount 
per head per annum over the sixteen years. 
