Price of Wheat, over 40 Harvest-Years, 1852-3 to 1891-2. 119 
consumption or use in other ways, rather higher than the amount 
indicated to have been actually available and used in recent years, 
and we adopt, therefore, provisionally, an estimated requirement 
per head per annum of 6 bushels at 60 lb. per bushel. 
Price per Quarter, and Aggregate Value, of the Total Wheat 
annually available ; also the Aggregate Cost , and the Cost per 
Head, of the Annual Requirement. 
Referring as usual to Appendix-Table II. (facing p. 132), for 
the details, the summary Table (XII.) on p. 120 shows the aver- 
ages for each of the eight-yearly periods, and for the forty years. 
The results are, in all cases, calculated for haiwest not civil years. 
As to the average Gazette price of the home wheat per quar- 
ter, as given in the first column, we understand that it frequently 
refers to quarters by measure irrespectively of weight ; but that 
when weight is known to enter into the transaction, it is calcu- 
lated to apply to quarters of 480 lb. = 60 lb. per bushel. The 
values for the home-crop, given in the second column of the 
Table, are reckoned at the Gazette price, on quarters of 480 lb. 
throughout. It is probable that, taking the average of seasons, 
the weight of the portion returned in measure only, would 
average more than 60 lb. per bushel ; and, so far as it is so, the 
aggregate values given will be somewhat too high. It must be 
admitted, however, that there is by no means the certainty that 
would be desirable as to the weight represented by the quarters 
to which the Gazette price applies. 
As the imports include both wheat imported as wheat, and 
flour as such, the Trade and Navigation Returns give the declared 
value of the imported wheat, and of the imported flour, separately. 
It seems inappropriate, however, for our present purpose — that of 
comparing the aggregate value of the home and the imported 
wheat — to include the value of the manufactured article — flour, 
as such. For the purposes of the Table, therefore, we have first 
converted the flour into its equivalent of wheat, and then reck- 
oned the value as such, at the same rate -as given for the 
wheat imported as wheat. On former occasions, we have calcu- 
lated the value of imported wheat at the Gazette price per quar- 
ter of the home wheat ; but it is pretty certain that this gives the 
value of the imported sometimes too high and sometimes too low. 
Thus, Mr. Rew in the Journal (Vol. I., 3rd Series, Part III., 1890) 
showed that, according to the Official Returns, in 1889 imported 
wheat averaged 2s. 10 d. per quarter more than the Gazette price 
of home wheat ; and in the calculations for the present paper we 
Jiave four>d that, although the difference varies greatly from year 
