Research

Scope and Content Note

This series consists of tables accounting for the quantity and cost of various provisions necessary to maintaining the institution. Chapter 744 of the Laws of 1867 and Chapter 463 of the Laws of 1873 defined the objects of the institution and provided for its management. As a state operated facility, the institution received general appropriations for its maintenance as well as special appropriations for building and other needs as required.

The categories of provisions that are individually accounted for inthe series are: flour; meat; fish; crackers; coffee; tea; sugar; syrup and molasses; butter; lard; soft soap; hard soap; cheese; poultry; other groceries; fruit; vegetables; eggs; milk; oysters; and sundries.

The quantity purchased is provided only for the first fourteen provisions named above. Daily cost totals for all provisions, monthly cost and quantity totals for each type of provision, and monthly cost totals for all provisions are also provided. These records include monthly tables (to 1888) of the average cost per measure of each type of provision purchased, as well as a monthly selected list of vendors from whom specific provisions were purchased. In addition, this volume includes annual summaries of the cost and quantity of each type of provision purchased, average annual cost per measure for each type of provision, and average weekly cost and consumption of each type of provision during the year. Annual summaries follow each September monthly table.