Spain — The recent official estimate of the 1915 crop reduced the previous one by 

 some 5,000,000 bushels, making it 139,200,000 bushels, which compares with 116,000,000 

 bushels in 1914. Mr. Broomhall states that "official and unofficial authorities grant a 

 large crop for 1915, but so far the supplies have not been in accordance with the estimates 



and imports have been made freely." "The imports already made and the 



different qualities authorized to be imported free do not confirm the big crop estimates. 

 If the large crop was actually gathered, it would appear that the growers must be 

 holding back a considerable part of their wheat." At the end of December the weather 

 was reported favourable for the new crops. February 1. — The new sowings were 

 reported as follows: — 



Wheat 9,843,000 acres Increase 6% 



Rye 1,725,000 acres Decrease 5% 



Barley 4,214,000 acres Increase 21% 



Oats 1,070,000 acres Increase 17% 



The sowings were made under good conditions with germination regular. March 

 14. — Outlook fair; reserves light. 



Scandinavia — Extraordinarily low temperatures have prevailed in these countries, 

 but it is not yet known whether the very severe frosts have had any harmful effect on 

 the winter crops. February 8. — Norway abolished the duty on wheat and Sweden 

 had already taken similar action to be effective until July. 



South Africa — February 8. — The winter harvest at Cape Town was reported as 

 favourable, but the official advices indicated that the out turn in the other parts of the 

 Union was much less favourable, and the general harvest reported 10% below last year's. 

 March 14. — Drought damage denied. 



Australia — An arrangement was made in November for marketing the whole 

 Australian wheat crop. The Federal and State Governments adopted a scheme for 

 financing and handling the harvest, a Government Committee of experts to act as 

 sellers and pool the proceeds, all the expenses of handling, transport, and sale of the 

 harvest to be paid out of the pooled funds. The balance is to be distributed to the 

 farmers, who will receive an advance up to 3s. per bushel. February 8. — It was 

 announced the crop movement was developing slowly. Offers were not large but very 

 steady. March 14. — Favourable rains for new crop. Offerings are limited, and 

 chartering slow. 



Argentina — The crop harvested in January 1915, 168,470,000 bushels, furnished for 

 actual export 94,356,000 bushels according to Broomhall. The officials expected that 

 the crop harvested in January of the present year, 184,000,000 bushels, 16% larger 

 than that of the previous year, would normally supply for export about 110,000,000 

 bushels. In the official Bulletin of August-September, 1915, the disposition of a former 

 crop of like amount 183,000,000 bushels was referred to as normal and should furnish 

 for export 110,000,000 bushels, for seed 20,000,000, for consumption 40,000,000, in all 

 170,000,000 bushels, leaving 13,000,000 bushels to be discarded as unmillable wheat. 

 The Argentine "Times" of December last estimated however that owing to the scarcity 

 of tonnage not more than 70% of the available supplies from the 1915-16 crops would 

 be shipped. According to BroomhaH's cable of February 24th wheat offers were 

 moderate and quality satisfactory. 



India — Since October the greatest anxiety has been felt concerning the crops 

 owing to the existence of droughty conditions especially in the great wheat producing 

 provinces of the Punjaub and in the United Provinces. A cable from Calcutta at the 

 end of February states, however, that beneficial rains have fallen in the Punjaub, the 

 United and Central Provinces and in Bihar. Our correspondent at Muzaffarnagar, 

 United Provinces, cables that there they have had light, beneficial rains. 



One-half of the area of the Punjaub and in the United Provinces fortunately is 

 irrigated, that is, 5,800,000 acres are irrigated, and this encourages the hope that 



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