1909.] 



The Corn Markets in April. 



i59 



not an abundant cropper, but is one of the best First Earlies in appear- 

 ance and cooking qualities, and is also a useful potato to keep for seed. 

 Myatts are suitable for those who like a close, yellow-fleshed variety, 

 while Snowdrops or Sharpe's Express represent floury varieties. May 

 Queen, Epicure, Early Eclipse, Sharpe's Victor, Midlothian Early, 

 Dalmeny Early, and Sir John Llewellyn are other First Earlies worth 

 trying. 



Among Second Earlies the last-named variety is one of the most 

 useful, and is a general favourite with the public. The tubers are of 

 splendid shape, and it is a heavy cropper. British Queen is another 

 white kidney worthy of highest praise, a good cropper and also cooker, 

 although after Christmas it begins to lose its quality, and is inclined 

 to cook a dark colour, thus spoiling it as a best table variety. Royal 

 Kidney has certainly earned a reputation as a disease-resister, and has 

 set up cropping - records in all districts ; its cooking - qualities, however, 

 are not of the best. 



As regards the Late Varieties, the Factor was placed at the head 

 of popular varieties, and it is a very good quality potato as regards 

 cooking and cropping. 



Duchess of Cornwall is not grown extensively in Lincolnshire, and 

 is sold at very low prices. Other really useful sorts include Scottish 

 Triumph, Dalmeny Beauty, Northern Star, Dalmeny Hero, Eldorado, 

 Langworthy, King Edward VII. , Table Talk, and, last of all, the 

 Up-to-Date, which is still and has always been one of the best maincrop 

 varieties where the soil and situation suit it. 



If one attempts to make a selection from ; the varieties named, my 

 choice for the three First Earlies would be Duke of York, Sharpe's 

 Express, Epicure; for three Second Earlies, Sir John Llewellyn, 

 British Queen, Royal Kidney ; and for six maincrop varieties, Factor, 

 Up-tq-Date, King Edward VII., Northern Star, Eldorado, Dalmeny 

 Beauty. The three best varieties for flavour are probably Up-to-Date, 

 Snowdrop, and Langworthy. 



THE CORN MARKETS IN APRIL. 

 C. Kains-Jackson. 



The scarcity of British wheat, which was anticipated after Easter, 

 as a result of the large deliveries earlier in the season, has become a 

 fact, and has brought about a striking advance in quotations, while 

 important market operations in the United States have caused a 

 startling series of fluctuations in the price of American breadstuffs. 

 These fluctuations have affected our port markets rather seriously, but 

 this has not been due so much to speculation in Great Britain- as to 

 the April stock returns disclosing a dangerous depletion in the granary 

 reserves of imported wheat. Outside the wheat trade there has been a 

 material advance in maize prices, the direct result of spot scarcity, 

 and there has also been an appreciable advance in oats. This latter rise 

 may be assigned to three different causes — the increased appreciation 

 of Argentine produce at previous low prices, the good demand for 

 English for seed, and a larger retail use due to the difficulty in obtaining 

 maize. Probably all three causes have contributed to the effect which, 

 under the circumstances, may be described as moderate. 



