11 



The plan as seen in these extracts has great objections. After reading all 

 the returns, who can tell their result ? They convey an impression that the 

 crops are good, but how much above or below a standard, or a normal, or 

 an average crop, no one can tell. They are too prolix, although as much con- 

 densed as the plan will allow. For the forty counties of England they 

 would require thirty-two pages of the size of those of this report. For the 

 United States they would demand a large volume, which would be read by 

 not more than one person in a half million of our population. Nor does this 

 plan institute a comparison with the crop of any preceding year. These 

 objections do not obtain to the plans adopted in the United States or Prussia. 



2. Prussia. — This nation has a Department of Agriculture, presided over 

 by a Secretary. In its operations agricultural societies act as an aid to the 

 Department. They meet together and make up an annual report of the 

 crops. We have no knowledge of the means adopted by them to collect the 

 information they embody in their report, but the following quotations from 

 their report for 1862 will show the plan adopted. Their estimates, it will 

 be seen, are comparative, and the standard of comparison is 100, repre- 

 senting an imaginary normal crop. As no census has ever been taken 

 there of the number of bushels produced in any one year, the comparison 

 must always be with this imaginary standard ; nor can their returns be re- 

 duced to bushels, as they are here, for want of a basis which such census 

 would furnish. The report is given for "Governmental districts," which are 

 nine in number, and the returns from which it is compiled are four hundred 

 and twenty-nine. 



The first table exhibits the amount of the crops for the province of 

 Prussia, with remarks on the quality, &c. 



The second, the summary for all the provinces. 



The third, the average yield for ten years of the provinces. 



THE HARVEST IN THE SEVEEAL PEOVINCES OF PEUSSIA. 

 1*^ Province of Prussia; from 81 Reports, 



Remarks on the crops of the neighborhood of Kingsberg. 



Average weight: Of wheat, 82 pounds; of rye, 79 pounds; of barley, 68 pounds; of oats, 52 pounds; of 

 peas, 85 pounds; of buckwheat, 57 pcunds; of potatoes, 96 pounds; of rape, 71 pounds per schefiVI, (li 

 bushel.) Hay of both cuttings, 0.92; tirst cut of a bad quality in many places; second cut of very good 

 quality. Other field crops, 0. 98 ; flax, 1. 02 ; wool crop, 0. 99. 



AVhcat suffered much from rust; turnips from maggots. Potatoes showed the well-known disease of the vine, 

 their development being therefore checked in many places, and suffering at the same time from maggots ; beans 

 suffered from mildew. 



