Price of Wheat , over 40 Harvest-Years, 1852-3 to 1891-2. 125 
years. The area under barley has declined very considerably since 
the repeal of the malt-tax in 1880, and the imports have increased 
in a greater proportion. Our area under oats has fluctuated, but 
not materially diminished, during the last twenty years, though 
it has shown a tendency to do so during the last four or five 
years. The imports have, however, very considerably increased. 
The agricultural area under potatoes in the United Kingdom 
has not varied very much during the last twenty years. It was, 
however, higher over the first five years than it has been during 
any equal period since ; and there has been a decided tendency 
to reduction during the last few years. Notwithstanding this, 
the imports have averaged considerably less than half as much 
over the last ten as over the first ten of the last twenty years. It 
is probable that the reduction of the available supply of potatoes 
per head of the population which these facts taken alone would 
indicate has been to some extent compensated by an increased 
growth of the crop in market gardens, the area of which has, 
it is satisfactory to note, increased considerably in recent years. 
It is also probable, however, that there has in reality been 
some reduction in the actual consumption per head under the 
influence of the cheapening of bread-stuffs. Of other crops, 
chiefly used as stock foods, and which are also products of home 
growth, our own area under beans and peas has in recent years 
declined, but the imports have been about one-eighth more over 
the last ten than over the preceding ten years. Then, of stock 
foods (of course also yielding manure) not grown at home, the 
annual imports of Indian corn have been about one-third more 
over the last fifteen than over the preceding five years ; those of 
oil-cakes have increased by considerably more than one-half ; 
those of cotton-seed by nearly one-third ; and those of linseed 
by one-fourth more, over the last ten than over the preceding 
ten years. 
The general result is, that our own arable area has gone 
down from an average of 23,808,294 acres over the first five of 
the last twenty-five years to 1892 inclusive, to 20,856,075 
over the last five; in other words it has declined by 2,952,219 
acres. Against these results, it is satisfactory that the area 
returned as under permanent grass has, over the same periods, 
increased from 22,485,020 acres to 27,146,147, or by 4,661,127 
acres. With this increase in feeding area, and increase also of 
imported food-stuffs, there has, comparing the last ten years to 
1892 inclusive with the preceding ten, been an increase in our 
average annual number of cattle from 9,965,546 to 10,709,656, or 
by 744,110; a decrease in that of sheep from 31,718,768 to 
30,343,502, or by 1,375.266, and an increase in that of pigs 
