1907.] 



Crop Prospects Abroad. 



309 



The change which took place in the weather after the 10th July is remarkably well 

 illustrated by the Board's experience in connection with the notice issued at the end of 

 June calling attention to the desirability of making ensilage. Up to that day hundreds 

 of letters were received daily asking for copies of the leaflet on that subject, but on 

 that day the weather improved and became less rainy and cold, and the requests for 

 the leaflet fell away to a very small number. Letters from all parts described the hay 

 as being damaged. In Berkshire the wheat was said to be of a bad colour, and harvest- 

 ing not likely to begin before the second week of August. Reports from Kent make 

 similar statements, but otherwise the crops were good, with little damage from insect 

 pests. A correspondent from North Lancashire describes the crops as backward, but 

 comments on the general absence of fly in the turnips and the length of the straw in 

 the corn crops. The Board have received several notices of the appearance of potato 

 disease, but exceedingly little has been said about the " fly." Several sensational 

 accounts of damage done by the thunderstorm and the hail in South Wales appeared 

 in the daily papers. The Board are informed that the thunderstorms and hail 

 affected the mining valleys — where there is little or no arable land. A corre- 

 spondent wrote that at the Swansea end of Glamorgan no damage was done at 

 all. There was a sharp hail and thunderstorm on the 22nd July, though not 

 of long duration. No damage was done, and even a " strawy crop of oats," which it 

 was expected would be laid, was untouched. In South Lancashire there was a 

 thunderstorm of exceptional severity on the evening of the 21st, the hail being very 

 large. The storm lasted some hours. Considerable damage was done to the crops,, 

 and some of the effects are undergoing investigation. The Board would be glad to 

 receive reports on the effect of the weather on harvesting operations during the month 

 of August, with dates of the commencement of cutting of each crop. 



France. — According to an official report published in the Journal Ojficiel, 18th July 7 

 the condition of potatoes on 1,917,000 acres was reported to be " good," on 

 1,680,000 acres " fairly good," and " passable " on 91,000- 



Notes on Crop acres. 



Prospects Abroad. Germany. — The official report on the crops in the 



middle of July shows in several cases a somewhat 

 improved condition compared with the previous month notwithstanding unfavourable 

 weather. The numerical standard is as follows : — Winter wheat, 2*8; spring wheat „ 

 2-4; winter rye, 2*4 ; spring rye, 2*3; barley, 2*2; oats, 2*3; and potatoes, 2'4 

 (1 = very good, 2 = good, 3 = average or medium, 4 = small, and 5 = very small). 

 Both the winter cereals are thin and over-run with weeds, and the harvest is likely to 

 be generally a fortnight later than usual. Spring crops seem relatively satisfactory, 

 and the condition of potatoes is also generally described as favourable. 



Hungary. — The official report of the Minister of Agriculture, up to the 15th 

 July, shows that the weather conditions generally have been unfavourable to the crops., 

 and the estimates of the yields are lower than those quoted last month. 



Koumania.— The Roumanian Ministry of Agriculture estimates that the wheat 

 crop will yield 5,500,000 qrs., as against a crop of 13,900,000 qrs. last year, and an 

 average of 8,940,000 qrs. during the past five years. 



Bulgaria.— The. official estimate of the Bulgarian wheat crop {Beerboh/ii y 

 19th July) indicates that the yield will be 45 per cent, below a full average. 



Austria.— The report of the Austrian Ministry of Agriculture regarding the 

 condition of the crops in the middle of July (quoted by Dornbusch, 18th July), states 

 that the weather influences since the last report issued have been generally favourable, 

 and the outlook now is for at least a good average crop. The progress of earing and 

 ripening promises a good average yield for winter wheat and rye. Spring wheat, rye 

 and barley are everywhere in good condition. 



Spain. — A semi-official estimate of the wheat crop indicates a yield of 14,000,000 qrs. 

 or about 5,000,000 qrs. below that of last year {Beerbokm, 26th July). 



