888 Agricultural Eeturns, 1920. [Dec, 



AGRICULTURAL RETURNS, 1920: 



PRODUCE OF CROPS IN ENGLAND AND WALES. 



The following Memorandum on the Agricultural Returns of England and 

 Wales for 1920 was issued by the Ministry on the 1st November : — 



The corn crops were adversely affected by the cold, sunless weather of the 

 past summer, and are not threshing out so well as farmers expected. This 

 applies more particularly to wheat and oats in the west of England and in 

 Wales. Harvest was late and is not yet over, and in some of the later dis- 

 tricts much less threshing than usual has been done. Crops ripened slowly, 

 and in the north a larger acreage than usual has been cut green. The harvest 

 has been very protracted, but on the whole the corn in many parts has been 

 secured under moderately favourable conditions. In the later districts in the 

 north some grain has sprouted, owing to the absence of drying winds and the 

 prevalence of heavy mists and dews. 



The total production of Wheat in England and Wales is estimated at 

 6,677,000 quarters, which is 1,300,000 quarters less than last year. The yield 

 per acre, 28*5 bushels, is slightly less than last year, and the smallest since 

 1904. On the average the yield per acre over most of the eastein counties is 

 about H bushels above the ten-year mean, but in Lincolnshire and the East 

 Riding yields are not so large as usual. Crops were very bad in the west- 

 midland and south-western counties, where the yields average about 7 bushels 

 per acre less than the ten-year mean. Barley is the most satisfactory of the 

 three chief corn crops, the yield, 31 bushels per acre, being very slightly below 

 average. As with wheat, results were most satisfactory in the eastern counties 

 and poorest in the west midlands and south-west, though in Cornwall barley 

 gave over-average results. The total production is 6,336,000 quarters, an 

 increase of 860,000 quarters as compared with last year, and 670,000 quarters 

 above the average of the previous ten years. Oats yielded 38 bushels per acre, 

 or nearly 2^ bushels more than in 1919. Over-average yields were the rule in 

 the eastern half of the country, while in the western half the results were in 

 the opposite direction, crops being worst in Wales and the south-west. The 

 total production has amounted to 10,760,000 quarters, which is about 160,000 

 quarters above the ten-years' average, but 660,000 quarters less than last year. 

 Mixed corn averaged 33*1 bushels per acre, and produced 605,000 quarters, or 

 17,000 quarters less than in 1919. Beans were a satisfactory crop, the yield 

 per acre, 31*1 bushels, being about 3f bushels above the decennial mean and 

 6 bushels more than last year. The total crop is 956,000 quarters, an excess 

 of 100,000 quarters over last year. Peas also gave an over-average yield. 

 27*4 bushels, or 2^ bushels more than usual. The total production, 444,000 

 quarters, is practically the same as last year. 



The yield per acre of Seeds' Hay was 30*9 cwt., or 2^ cwt. above average 

 and more than 7 cwt. heavier than in 1919. The acreage was also greater 

 than last year and the total production, which amounted to 2,588,000 tons, 

 exceeded last year's total by nearly 50 per cent. Crops of Meadovj iTay were 

 also good, the yield averaging 25*7 cwt. per acre, or 4 cwt. more than the 

 decennial mean, and the best yield since 1907. The total production, 5,650,000 

 tons, is 2,230,000 tons greater than last year. Taking both kinds of hay 



