168 



Crop Prospects Abroad. 



[JUNE, 



of this there are no means of determining which, or indeed of 

 saying whether any, of the varieties grown as ornamental plants 

 in this country belong to kinds that are known to yield the best 

 quality of fibre ; (5) lastly, even if a locality were found in which 

 one or other of the kinds known to yield the best quality of fibre 

 would grow luxuriantly, it has to be recollected that the question 

 is not merely one of growing the plant but of extracting the fibre 

 from its leaves in a fashion that will be remunerative if worked 

 on a commercial scale. 



It would, therefore, be necessary that any attempts to grow 

 Phormium should in the first instance be made on a small scale. 

 It seems also essential that in the present state of our know- 

 ledge of the fibre-producing qualities of the varieties now grown 

 as ornamental plants in this country, the experimental cultiva- 

 tion of Phormium for fibre should be rigidly confined to such 

 kinds as have been proved in New Zealand to yield the best 

 quality of fibre. 



An article dealing with the cultivation, yield, and preparation 

 of the fibre in New Zealand appeared in the 'Bulletin of the 

 Imperial Institute, Vol. V., No. 1. 



Russia. — The Board have received through the Foreign 

 Office a translation of an article which appeared in the official 

 " Commercial and Industrial Gazette," 

 Notes as to Crop of May 12, relative to the condition, 

 Prospects Abroad. on the setting in of spring, of the winter 

 grain sowings in the central zone of 



European Russia : — 



" In all the governments of the south-western region, in 

 some of the north-western, Polish, and Little-Russian govern- 

 ments, the condition of the winter sowings is in general unsatis- 

 factory, in places very bad, more especially rye. In parts of 

 the Polish, north-western and Little-Russian governments, 

 in the governments of Kaluga and Orel, and in the northern 

 parts of those of Tula and Riazan, forming part of the central 

 agricultural region ; and in most districts of the Central Volga 

 region, the winter sowings are in general saisfactory, i.e., give 

 promise of an average crop. In the remaining central agri- 



