112 
Home Produce , Imports, Consumption , and 
period. Lastly, though over the fifth eight-yearly period there 
is, compared with the fourth, a very large avei'age annual 
reduction of area under the crop, amounting to more than half 
a million acres, there is, at the same time, an increase of 
bushels in the average yield per acre per annum ; and, with this, 
there is a reduction of less than half a million quarters over the 
fifth period compared with the fourth, instead of more than 
3,000,000 quarters under contrary conditions as to yield per acre 
over the fourth compared with the third period. 
Not only is there the great reduction in the aggregate yield 
of the home-crop which the figures in Table VIII. show, but 
examination of the results for the individual years, as given in 
Appendix-Tables I. and II., show that sometimes during the 
earlier years the home produce was twice as much as in some 
of the individual later years. 
Comparing column with column in Table VIII, it is seen 
that reckoning the produce at 60 lb. iustead of at 61 lb. per bushel, 
raises the number of quarters by which an equal weight 
of grain is represented by about 200,000 per annum on a 
total quantity of about 12,000,000 quarters, or by about If 
per cent. Next, comparing the amounts estimated to be avail- 
able for consumption, deducting from the total the requirement 
for seed, it is seen that over the first three periods the reduction 
represents an average of more than one million quarters per 
annum, over the fourth period with its much reduced area, yield, 
and aggregate produce, less than one million quarters, over the 
fifth period with the still further reduction of area and total pro- 
duce, and of course still less deduction per acre for seed, only 
about two-thirds of a million ; but, over the forty years, an 
average of nearly one million quarters per acre per annum. 
The figures further show that the average annual amounts 
available for consumption from the home-crop wei’e only about 
two-thii’ds as much over the last sixteen as over the first six- 
teen of the forty years. What this reduced actual supply of 
wheat available for consumption from the home-crop represents, 
when considered in connection with the coincident increase of 
population, and therefore of requirement, will be seen farther on. 
The Imports of Wheat, and of Flour reckoned as Wheat. 
In the discussion of Table IV. (p. 104 and context), we have 
shown the actual increase in the amount of wheat available 
from imported flour, due to adopting, as we now do, the relation 
of 72 flour to 100 wheat, instead of 80 - 77 to 100 as formerly; 
and we have pointed out to what extent this change increases 
