484 



Journal of the Department op Agriculture. 



that for April, 1920. These figures are the summary of information 

 received from all countries for which complete statistics for the last 

 seven years are available, and give the position in these countries in 

 the northern hemisphere for the crop season of 1919 and in the 

 southern hemisphere for the 1919-20 season. 



Summary of Crop Production. 



Yield of 1919 and 1919-20 compared with 



It will be observed that in respect of several crops, the Institute 

 has information covering a comparatively small portion only of the 

 world's producing area. In the case of cotton, however, the informa- 

 tion available is almost complete, as it concerns 96 per cent, of the 

 world's production, and here we find that the past season's crop 

 was 3.6 per cent, greater than the year before, but that it fell 4.2 

 per cent, below the average crop obtained during the five seasons 

 previous to the last. 



In over three quarters of the world's maize belt, the crop last 

 year averaged 19.1 per cent, greater than the year before and also 

 4.7 per cent, greater than the average of the five seasons previous to 

 the last one. 



It is chiefly in regard to wheat, however, that the greatest 

 moment attaches at present, and the figures disclose the fact that 

 during the past season the crop reaped in certain countries, repre- 

 senting 62 per cent, of the world's total producing area, was 6.1 per 

 cent, smaller than the yield of the prior season, and also 3.6 per cent, 

 less than the average crop obtained from these countries during the 

 five years previous to the last oue. So much for the past, but what 

 of the season facing us? The Institute's report does not, of course, 

 contain iniormation regarding wheat sowings in the southern hemis- 

 phere this 1920-21 season, but it publishes certain statistics of the 



