66 THE SHADOW OF THE WORLD’S FUTURE 
about 0-435 tons, and of maize and rice as about 0-640 
tons, each per acre. The maize and rice happen to 
have the highest food-values, but the locality governs 
the kind of grain that can best be produced. For 
this reason no practicable change in the kind of grain 
grown can be regarded as affecting the above results 
appreciably. 
The total yield in the above table is 390:44 million 
tons, and represents the requirements of less than, say, 
1850 millions of people, about the total corresponding 
to the date of the returns. Making no allowance for the 
fact that 1850 millions is too large a number to which 
to relate the returns—possibly the error caused thereby 
may be disregarded—each person on the average 
annually requires, directly and indirectly, 473 lbs. of 
the mixture of the above cereals, etc. If we take 
account of the fact that 1850 millions is too large a 
number, this result should be increased by about, say, 
37 per cent. It would thus be about 648 lbs. instead 
of 473. We are inclined to think that this figure is 
somewhat excessive. 
Man has, of course. out of this to provide for his seed 
supplies, and also supplies for his dependent animals. 
In Australia, where meat-eating is considerable, about 
342 lbs. is the average quantity per person for direct 
consumption. Supposing every acre cultivated could 
be made to grow the world-average of 13-27 bushels, 
say about 796 lbs., then the available area of 31-2 per 
cent. of the so-called “productive land,” viz., 16-38 
millions of square miles, would give, with the require- 
ment of 473 lbs. per person, a possible population of 
17,642 millions, or with the larger figure, say about 
12,900 millions. Remembering, however, that the 
“ productive area’ is enormously greater than the 
area that could possibly be applied to the growth of 
cereals, etc., it can be seen that a population of, say, 
17,000 millions is unquestionably not even approximately