1907.] Crop Prospects Abroad. 



245 



Koumania. — A report issued by the Roumanian Ministry of Agriculture on 

 June 5th, stated that the drought had seriously compromised a large number of sowings 

 throughout the whole country. The autumn sowings, 

 Notes Oil Crop wheat, barley and rye, which were unsatisfactory at the 



_ , , end cf the winter, made but little progress during May, 



Prospects Abroad. and remained short and thin in the grea ter part of 



Wallachia. In many places the late sowings had dried 

 up, and part had been turned into pasture, while part had, with difficulty, been 

 ploughed up for other crops. Rye and barley are looking- better than wheat, and 

 it is believed that the recent rains may save that part of the crop which is in fairly 

 good condition. The spring sowings were in a very unsatisfactory state. 



Holland. — According to a report published by the Ministry of Agriculture on 

 June 6th, the changeable weather in May has injured the prospects of the fruit crops. 

 The excessive heat experienced at the beginning of the month followed by sharp frosts 

 was mainly responsible for this ; in some parts the fruit suffered severely through 

 hail-storms, whilst insects have also caused damage in other parts. Notwithstanding 

 ' these conditions fair crops are expected nearly everywhere. 



In the case of apples, the prospects range from good to very good ; pears, plums, 

 gooseberries and currants are all good. Early potatoes have suffered somewhat from 

 frost, but the prospects on the whole are fairly good. 



A report issued by the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture on June 15th, states that, 

 as in some districts numerous fields of winter wheat had been ploughed, more flax has 

 been sown than was originally intended. In almost all flax-growing centres the 

 " Brand ziekte " has caused more or less damage. The condition of flax on the heavy 

 clay grounds in Groningen is only medium. In consequence of the drought after 

 sowing time the crop on these grounds is thin and irregular. On the lighter grounds 

 in that province the condition is good to very good. The condition is good in 

 Friesland, North HoUand, South Holland and Zeeland, and in western North Brabant 

 it is fairly good. 



Mr. Consul Churchill also forwards, through the Foreign Office, a translation of a 

 report -dated June 16th, 1907, issued by the Ministry of Agriculture on the bulb 

 industry, which states, that on the whole the state of the crops is satisfactory. 

 Owing to the cool weather the bulbs remained longer than usual under ground, 

 thereby increasing their weight. Tulips are good in most districts, but in some, red 

 tulips are not as fine as was expected. The same may be said of some varieties of 

 double tulips. This is mainly attributed to the excessive heat at the beginning of 

 May, and the frost during the latter part of that month. A great deal of damage 

 from disease is reported to hyacinths and narcissi, but the conditions as regards 

 hyacinths are on the whole very good. In South Holland the narcissi are universally 

 good, and in North Holland they are also satisfactory, except in one or two districts 

 where they are only fairly good. 



Russia. — According to a report from Mr. Consul Medhurst, dated June 4th, the 

 prospects for the new crops in the South-Eastern districts of Russia were much 

 improved by the rains which fell during the latter part of May. 



A later report from Sir A. Nicolson, dated June 21st, states that the general 

 condition of the crops in European Russia was unsatisfactory at the end of May. 

 Very hot and dry weather, accompanied by hot winds, had prevailed in the South 

 and South-West and in the Caucasus, whilst in the rest of the country, with the 

 exception of a part of the Central Black Earth district, growth was arrested by the 

 unusually cold weather, snow having fallen as late as the beginning of June. In 

 Little Russia, in the North-West and in the central agricultural district the crops 

 suffered not only from cold but from want of rain. There have lately been heavy 

 rains in the South, and there are prospects of a better harvest than seemed likely in 

 the Spring. As regards winter corn in European Russia, about 34 per cent, of the 

 crops are described as below the average; 19 per cent, are average, and 15 per cent, 

 are bad and unsatisfactory. The worst districts in this respect are the Governments 



