FOREIGN CROPS, MAY-JUNE, 1912. 11 



ITALY. 



The appearance of the growing crops throughout by far the 

 greater part of the country is reported to differ in no noteworthy 

 respect from that of normal years. The official estimate of the area 

 under wheat — the only cereal, excepting corn, grown in Italy on a 

 really extensive scale — is 11,737.500 acres, compared with 11,741.000 

 acres harvested last year. Seedtime last autumn, if drought in three 

 Provinces be excepted, was for the most part during ]5ropitious 

 weather, and by virtue of an exceptionally mild winter the plants 

 at the opening of spring were in general vigorous and healthy. 

 Virtually the only complaint was of animal and vegetable parasites, 

 the increase of which had probably been fostered by the moderate 

 winter. 



As in many parts of western Europe, the spring weather has been 

 at times disadvantageous to the pursuit of agriculture. The earlier 

 reports showed fruit trees blossoming satisfactorily everywhere and 

 grapevines making seasonable development. But in April a pro- 

 longed period of low temperatures, accompanied by frosts and vio- 

 lent winds, set in, and for a time the growth of all vegetation was 

 held at a standstill. It is now claimed, however, that the damage to 

 fruit trees, excepting in a few^ places, was slight, and the check upon 

 the rapid and abnormal growth of wheat beneficial. The latest 

 reports indicate a generally promising state of agriculture; even in 

 those i^arts of the south where a prolonged drought, now broken, 

 had caused great anxiety improvement is noted. 



BELGIUM. 



As might be expected in a country where intensive farming is 

 widely practiced, the areas under the principal cereals ordinarily 

 change little from one year to another. Of late years, however, 

 there has been a slight tendency to diminish the cultivation of rye 

 in Belgium and to expand that of wheat; but, as the movement 

 has not been rapid, the premier crop still occupies upward of 630.000 

 acres annually, while wheat has scarcely attained the 400,000-acre 

 mark. The annual surface under oats, it may be noted, closely 

 approximates that of rye in extent, and slightly less than 100.000 

 acres is annually sown to barley. Autumn seeding for the 1912 

 harvest was in general under favorable conditions, and the areas 

 sown to the respective crops are reported to show no important 

 departures from normal. Excepting during a spell of cold, dry 

 weather in late April and early May vegetation has in general made 

 good progress and prospects for the coming harvest are encouraging. 



