Page:Indian Journal of Economics Volume 2.djvu/416

 THE RELATIVE PRICES OF FOOD GRAINS G. J. E. O'BYRNE, Lc.s. ASSISTANI ' WHEAT COMMISSIONER FOR INDL pulses make Owing o he grown in a more consu. pfion population is fion has an number India, the population is able varied selection of foodgrains and variety of cereals and to or than in most other countries. As the mainly vegetarian, thin power of selec- important effect 'on national economy, enabling the poorer classes to satisfy their needs of subsistence at a The commonoat smaller'expense han ho richer. example of his is in ho case o! barley and wheat. In the United Provin6os a large number of cultivators habitually sell their wheat and eat their barley. As the relation in price between barley and wheat is normally about 70 per cent, and barley coutains in a form available for human consumption about 84 per cent the food value of wheat, the barley consumer as compared with the wheat con- sumer effects a saving of. about 16 pe.r cent in s normal year. A similar saving from the consumption of such in expenditure results grains as juar, bra, maize, ragi and gram. An examination, however, o!