ocjn 



no, 



FOREIGN CROPS, MAY, 1911. 



INTRODUCTION. 



Excepting the partial failure of the corn crop in Argentina and 

 Uruguay and a backward state of vegetation and spring seeding in 

 almost all Europe, the foreign crop situation at the end of April was 

 in all its diverse phases fairly satisfactory. Excellent sowing weather 

 has been experienced in Argentina, and the areas laid down to wheat, 

 flaxseed, and oats are probably the most extensive in her history; 

 corn husking, now drawing to a close, has, however, given the worst 

 results in several years, and former estimates of an export surplus of 

 20,000,000 bushels are now generally regarded as too high. The small 

 corn crop of Uruguay is also reported a failure. In Australia it is 

 doubtful if a full area has been sown to winter wheat, seeding having 

 been widely interrupted by rains. The harvest of wheat and oilseeds 

 in British India has with few exceptions made satisfactory progress, 

 and by virtue of increased areas outturns are expected to equal or 

 even surpass those of the most prolific years. In Canada the sowing 

 of spring wheat has been in active progress; on probably 80 per cent 

 of the land intended for this cereal the seed was in the soil on May 1, 

 the total promising largely to exceed all previous records. 



Over almost all Europe temperatures during early April were 

 abnormally low; frosts and heavy snowfalls in many countries 

 checked the development of vegetation and brought spring field 

 work temporarily to a standstill. As a consequence vegetation and 

 farming operations are almost everywhere more or less in arrears. 

 In Great Britain wheat is officially stated to cover an area 5 per cent 

 greater than last year; the condition, though not of the best, is 

 pretty well up to average. In France unseasonable cold, with heavy 

 snows, early in the month interfered widely with farming operations; 

 much injury was done to early fruits and vegetables, but growing 

 cereals are said to have been effectively protected by the snow. The 

 area under wheat is believed to show some decrease, but the condi- 

 tion is better than at the same date last year. Although the cold 

 weather also extended over Spain and Italy, there are no definite 

 reports of damage to the staple crops. 



In central Europe the general agricultural situation, though fairly 

 satisfactory, in not so promising as at the corresponding period a 



[Clr. 19] (3) 



