from flour either of varying proportions of home-produced and imported wheats, or of the all-English product. 4. Our terms of reference have not required us to investigate the costs of production of cereals, nor, apart from the costs incurred in the processes of milling and baking, have we considered it necessary to examine the post-marketing costs entailed in the various processes to which cereals may be subjected, or the purposes to which they may be applied. INTRODUCTION. 5. The production of wheat, barley and oats is an important feature of farm-economy in this country and of the system of crop-rotation as usually practised. Once harvested, the crops are not perishable to the same extent as most varieties of agricultural produce. 6. The "tailings tailings" of wheat, that is poor grain not suitable for milling purposes, a large proportion of the barley, and most of the oats are used for the feeding of stock, a considerable fraction of the total production of these cereals being retained on the farm for that purpose. It is estimated that, in addition, from 10 to 15 per cent. of the wheat crop is used for poultry-feeding, either on the farm where it is produced or after sale to the corn merchant. A small quantity of the oat crop is used for human food, barley is also used for brewing and distilling and for the manufacture of special foods, while the superior qualities of wheat are used for the manufacture of bread. 7. Wheat is universally regarded as the most important of the cereal crops, not because it is the most nutritious, or because other cereals cannot be satisfactorily manufactured into bread, but rather owing to a world-wide uniformity in diet which reveals itself, to an increasing extent, in a marked preference for the consumption of white bread made from wheat alone. Wheaten bread has long been the chief item in the fare of the household of the manual worker of this country. The Working Classes Cost of Living Committee calculated in 1918 that expenditure on bread, flour, biscuits, cake and oatmeal alone accounted for 17.7 per cent. of the total expenditure on foodstuffs of a 'standard family." Any increase in the price of the loaf must, therefore, gravely affect the food bill. Where wages are especially low, as among farm labourers, the result must be particularly serious. It is therefore essential to assure an ample supply of wheat at a price which will enable bread to be sold at a figure which the manual worker can afford. 66 8. We are informed that, in present circumstances, wheat growing in Great Britain is generally unremunerative. The question arises, therefore, whether special economic means should be devised to increase the home production of wheat, or whether the British farmer should be encouraged to adapt his farming methods to the new conditions and apply himself to forms of production which promise to yield a profit. The ultimate decision may bear upon the possibilities of an agricultural policy covering the whole Empire in which the economic interests of its component parts would become complementary one to the other. These are, however, matters of high policy which it is not within our province to discuss in the present report. Meanwhile it is clear that the methods employed in marketing the home crop should be cheap and efficient, that the wheat itself when offered for sale should be properly cleaned, dressed, and made attractive to the buyer and, finally, that, where possible, the newer types of wheat should be grown to meet the requirements of the milling and baking trade. PART I. CEREALS. I.-PRODUCTION AND IMPORTS. 9. The output of wheat, barley and oats varies according to two factors, namely, the acreage sown and the yield per acre. The acreage sown depends mainly upon the farmer, and is governed by questions of crop rotation, by the farmer's individual requirements with regard to the feeding of stock, and by his estimate of the relative costs and values of the various alternative crops within his choice when planning his farming operations. The yield per acre sown is mainly dependent upon climatic conditions, although the efficiency and methods of the farmer enter largely into the matter. Note must also be taken of the continuous efforts that are being made by careful selection and breeding to develop not only the yielding powers of the seed planted, and its milling qualities, but also its capacity to withstand disease and unfavourable weather conditions. 10. Between the years 1903 and 1912 there was an increase in the acreage devoted to wheat in Great Britain, and a decline in the area under barley, so that whereas in 1903 the acreage of wheat was 277,000 below that of barley, in 1912 the position was reversed, and the acreage under wheat was 277,000 acres more than that under barley. Oats showed comparatively little change during the whole period. 11. During the past 10 years, the normal development of agriculture in this country has been disturbed by war conditions, and the decline in the wheat acreage which was shown in the agricultural returns for the year 1913 was succeeded by a pronounced increase during the war period. The acreage harvested and the total yield under each crop in Great Britain since the year 1912 are shown in Table I. 12. The acreage* under each crop in England, Scotland and Wales in the years 1914 and 1923 was as follows. The figures for 1923 are subject to revision: * Including areas the produce of which was cut green and not included in Table I. TABLE I. ACREAGE AND TOTAL YIELD OF WHEAT, BARLEY AND OATS IN GREAT BRITAIN, 1912-1923. of Agriculture. 3,159 2,142 * Figures regarding yield in Scotland are not yet available; figures for England and Wales are estimates made by the Ministry † Excluding areas the produce of which was cut green. sands. tons. sands. tons. sands. tons. sands. tons. 957 660 3,029 1,863 938 666 2,913 1,986 919 693 2,849 2,033 983 715 3,071 2,168 990 648 3,075 2,100 1,041 809 3,300 2,280 1,244 955 4,024 2,965 1,111 777 3,675 2,343 1,032 744 3,298 2,215 1,011 711 T 13. Of the total acreage under crops and grass in each of the three countries, the following percentages were under wheat, barley and oats respectively in the years 1914 and 1923 England Per Cent. Per Cent. Per Cent. Per Cent. Per Cent. Per Cent. 14. Imports of grain of all descriptions declined during the war years, but wheat and barley have since recovered to some extent, and oats have shown an increase during the past two years. The annual imports into the United Kingdom since the year 1912, including produce subsequently re-exported, are as follows: TABLE II. IMPORTS OF WHEAT AND WHEAT FLOUR, BARLEY AND OATS INTO THE UNITED KINGDOM, 1912-1922. 15. It is clear from the preceding tables that the bulk of the grain required for human consumption is obtained from overseas. The Ministry of Agriculture estimates that in the cereal year ended 31st August, 1922, out of a total supply in Great Britain. of 6,930,000 tons of wheat (including imported wheat flour expressed in terms of wheat), no less than 4,903,000 tons, or |