Price of Wheat, over 40 Harvest-Years, 1852-3 to 1891-2. 113 
the estimate of the total supply annually available for consump- 
tion from all sources, home and foreign ; and we must refer the 
reader to that Table and discussion for further particulars on 
these points. Adopting now the new mode of computation, 
Table IX., below, shows the average annual net imports (im- 
ports less exports) of wheat and of flour reckoned as wheat, 
over each of the eight-yearly periods, and over the forty years. 
The quantities are, however, given both in quarters reckoned at 
60§ lb. per bushel as formerly for imported wheat, and at 60 lb. 
per bushel as now adopted. 
Table IX. 
Net imports of wheat, and of flour reckoned 
as wheat (72 flour =100 wheat) - 
At 60S lb. 
per 
bushel 
At 60 lb. 
per 
bushel 
Increased 
number 
at 60 lb. 
Quarters 
Quarters 
Quarters 
Averages for : — 
8 years 1852-3 to 1859-60 
4,767,276 
4,820,246 
+ 52,970 
8 „ 1860-1 „ 1867-8 . 
8,218,468 
8,309,783 
+ 91,315 
8 „ 1868-9 „ 1875-6 . ' . 
10,774,901 
10,894,622 
+ 119,721 
8 „ 1876-7 „ 1883-4 . 
16,127,002 
16,306,191 
+ 179,189 
8 „ 1884-5 „ 1891-2 . 
18,452,256 
18,657,281 
+ 205,025 
40 „ 1852-3 „ 1891-2 . 
11,667,980 
11,797,625 
+ 129,645 
Unlike the change in the adopted relation of flour to wheat, 
which, as has been pointed out, causes a real and not immaterial 
increase in the estimate of the amount of wheat available for con- 
sumption, the change in the figures due to reckoning the quantities 
at only 60 lb., instead of 60§ lb. per bushel, does not represent any 
increase in actual quantity by weight ; but only a larger number 
of quarters of less weight per quarter, as shown in the last 
column of the Table. The actual increase in the number of 
quarters at the lower weight per bushel is seen to be compara- 
tively small over the earlier periods, when both the total quantity 
of the imports, and the proportion of them due to flour, were 
small. It may be observed that the increase in measure, by 
adopting the lower weight per bushel, represents about 1 ^ per 
cent, on the quantities at the higher weight. 
Let us now turn to the more important indications of the 
Table. When considering the home-crop, it was pointed out 
that its aggregate produce was only about two-thirds as much 
over the later as over the earlier periods. The Table now under 
consideration shows that the imports were, on the other hand, 
VOL. IV. T. S.— 13 I 
