Price of Wheat , over 40 Harvest-Years , 1852-3 to 1891-2. 117 
-fifth. Comparing the first eight years with the fifth eight, the 
latter shows an increase from 28 to nearly 37 millions, or by 
nearly 9 millions, corresponding to nearly one-third more over the 
last period compared with the first. No wonder, then, at the 
great increase in the aggregate supplies of wheat over the later 
as compared with the earlier periods, as shown in the last section. 
The increase in the supply from period to period as there shown 
has, however, to meet the demand, not only of an increased num- 
ber of consumers, but also a slightly larger requirement per 
head over the later periods. 
Comparing the last column with the one before it, both 
being reckoned at 60 lb. per bushel, it will be seen to what 
extent the actual available supply per head per annum is 
increased over the respective periods, by raising the estimate 
of the amount of wheat corresponding to a given amount of 
flour. It has already been shown that the previously annually 
adopted estimate of the requirement per head, which was 
modified from time to time according to the subsequently 
ascertained available supplies, agreed extremely closely with 
the amounts of those supplies when averaged over a series of 
years so as to eliminate the disturbing influence of stocks on 
hand ; and it is obvious that it could not be otherwise, if the 
annual estimates were judiciously modified according to the 
previously actually ascertained supplies. But now that the 
past supplies are assumed to have been in reality greater than 
the previously adopted figures represented, it is obvious that the 
estimate of the available supply per head must also be corre- 
spondingly increased. To add to this, the quantities are now 
represented in bushels of only 60 lb., so further raising the 
figure, but not the amount represented by it. 
A comparison of the first and second columns, relating to 
the quantities per head, will show how very closely the annual 
estimates of requirement and the amounts afterwards proved to 
be available agreed, the two being taken at approximately the 
same weight per bushel. The third column gives the same 
results as the second, but reckoned at only 60 lb. per bushel, 
and shows, therefore, higher quantities by measure available ; 
and, compared with these, the higher amounts in the last column 
show the increase in the amount available per head, due to 
assuming a given amount of imported flour to represent a 
greater quantity of wheat. It is these last quantities that we 
now adopt, as representing the annual requirement per head, in 
accordance with the actual amounts annually available from all 
sources — home and foreign. 
It will be seen that the previously adopted estimate of require- 
