, 1873-08-12
CONSUMPTION OF FOOD SINCE 1s4o.

In 1840, according to tho conRuB Wo produced
84,823,272 bushels Of whoat, md GLE, 6,525,8 1903
bushols Of all coroals. Treasury reports show
that We imported sos bushels Of wheat and 2,046
bushels Of all oereals, and exported 1,720,860
bushels Of wheat, 1891, sol barrels Of flour, and
Il, ,199 049 bushels OF all cereals. There remain
cd and were consumed 73.614 DOT bushels Of
wheat, or 4 31-100 bushols per capita, and co.,
928,329 bushels Of all cereals or 95 21-10o
bushels per CAPITA. From similsr data, 1t ap-
pears that in 1860 ne consumed of wheat
o1,2ol ,811 bushols or 8.93 per capita, and Of all
cereals, e5s, ,s68, ,475 busho1a, or sG8 bushels per
capita. Again, in 1860, NO consumed 155. .801, ,091
bushels Of wheat, or 4 o5-1oo per capita. and OF
MI cereals, 1,2l6 III 091, Or 38 6e100 busheu per
capita.
Thus 1t appears that therc was large increaso
in tho consumption Of wheat and coroala during
tho two decades preceding the War. During
tho last ospccially-the decade Of unbroken low
dutfcs-thiB increase WAS over one bushol OF
wheat to Zach inhabitant, and nearly Two bush-
es OF all cereals. So large part Of the cou-
sumption Of. corea}a other than wheat is in the
making Of animal food that, In tie absence Of
data as to tho number Of animals 40 consumed
1t is fair to infer that the entiro consumption Of
food from our own farms and cattlo-yards WAS ut
each period proportional to tho quantity of
cereals consumed. Tho increase during tho
two decades from 1910 to 1860, and especially
during tho last, corresponds with tho remark
n1H INN 1phf tuorp s,,
the condition Of tho 1aboring claBses in this
country during that timo.
III 1870, tho quantity Of wheat produced waa
2s5. 49,, 700 bushels, Of which 181. 49, ol5 woro
consumed, or only AGO bushels PER capita.
Again. In 1871. only 4.74 bushels per capi.a wore
consumed. In these years tho quantity WAS
less than It had boon IN 1860. As it Is possible,
however, that surplus may have remained
from the enormous crop Of 1800-of which,
separately considered, tho apparent consump-
tion WIS 605 bushcls per capita--it will bo 1uore
fair to tako tho average Of tho thrso yoarB au
tho consumption OF each, namely, 5.1s bushels
! per capita. But this shows all increase
Of only 18-100 Of bushel since
| 1864 result not very satisfactory whom COM
pared with tile gain OF moro thap ono buahol
| during tho preceding decade Of unprotected
labor. 1t may. however, DO presumed that tho
uso OF somo other grain In place of wheat had
Increased, Or that animal food had been aubstir
tuted for vegetable. But it does not so appear,
On the contrary, tho entiro consumption Of all
cereals waB 1,83O, ,532 bushels In 1869. 1.5o4
sal, 800 bueholn in 1870 and 291 1896 bushela
In 1871, and tho ayossge per capita for the threo
years was only 1910 bushels for capita, ,-less, by
noarly two bushels to each person, than 1t was
In 1860. Nothor can 1t bo supposed that pota-
toos were substituted, for Of tlat vegetable we
consumed 4.8 bushela in 1860 and only 8.4 buahols
per capita for the three years 180o-71. OF cereals
and potatoes we consumed in 1860 4s15 bushols
to each person, and In 18G0-71 only 40 Ii
bushels. It may be added that tho consumption
Of butter docreaaod from M thu to 1o1 lbs pei,
capita during the ssme poriod. Whereas tho
consumption Of food Increased AZ bushels to
each person from 1850 to 1860, uuder syston,
Of taxation doslgnod to aid labor 0nly by re-.
moving it's burdens, it decreased about 8lh
bushola to eaoh person from 1890 to 1870, under
y - system called protective. Tho conclusion
, 'eoms unayoiiable that tho condition Of tho la
bring cl4ss, rbieh sustalns tho great majority