Harvest and Crop Reports. 



261 



acres, or yg per cent, more than that harvested last year. 

 These figures would indicate an area planted in 1902 of about 

 94,870,000 acres. The crop is, however, very late. 



The average condition of oats when harvested is reported to 

 be considerably above the mean, and an exceptionally large 

 crop is expected, but the quality is thought to be deficient. 

 Barley and rye also show improvement, both as compared with 

 last year and with the ten years' average. 



The Russian Harvest of 1902. 



Information received through the Foreign Office indicates 

 that the weather experienced in most parts of European Russia 

 during the early part of this year was very favourable to the 

 growth of crops. At the end of June and during the first 

 fortnight of July, however, great heat and drought prevailed in 

 the basin of the Volga and in the south-eastern provinces, 

 while, at the same time, the western districts of the country 

 suffered from excessive cold and rain. Owing to this bad 

 weather the harvest was delayed for two or three weeks, and in 

 most of the western provinces and in the industrial region of 

 the central provinces harvest operations were not commenced 

 until August. 



The cereal harvest was expected, according to information 

 collected in July and August, to give, on the whole, satisfactory 

 results this season. With the exception of a few districts, the 

 yield of winter wheat was above the average, and it was 

 anticipated that the spring-sown crop would also yield well. 

 The production of rye was expected to be larger than usual, 

 but the reports as to the prospects of barley and oats were not 

 quite so satisfactory. On the other hand, both buckwheat and 

 millet are stated to have been yielding excellent crops. 



Crops in Hungary. 



The official report on the condition of crops in Hungary on 

 August 10th last indicates that the grain harvest this year 

 promises to be much better than in 1901. The area under 



