1909.] 



Notes on Crop Prospects Abroad. 



507 



The barley crop of the live provinces has an area of 1,846,900 acres, 

 as compared with 1,726,700 acres last year, and a estimated yield of 

 57,722,000 bushels, as against 51,690,000 bushels at the same date last 

 year. 



Hop Crop of Various Countries. — Messrs. John Barth and Son, of 

 Nuremberg, in their report of August 24th, state that the warm and 

 fine weather which prevailed since their previous report of July 28th 

 (Journal, August, 1909, p. 420) has stopped a further deterioration of 

 the ht>p plantations in Bavaria. The vermin and the blight have dis- 

 appeared in nearly all districts, but unfortunately too late for an 

 improvement of the bad gardens. Those plantations, however, which 

 were less injured show an improvement, and a so-called head-yield is 

 expected from them, which means that only the upper part of the 

 plant is productive. 



The Hallertau of Bavaria is especially favoured; bad fields in some 

 districts are hardly to be seen, and Messrs. Barth believe that nearly 

 100,000 cwt. will be produced here, against 145,000 cwt. of last year, 

 whereas in the Spalt country the harvest will hardly equal one half of 

 that of last year. The mountainous and country districts of Bavaria 

 are only expected to harvest a few thousand cwt., against 145,000 cwt. 

 in 1908. 



It will depend on the weather of the next few weeks how much 

 Germany will yield over or under 200,000 cwt., as against 536,000 cwt. 

 last year. Austria-Hungary is expected to produce fairly well in the 

 district of Saaz; and the yield of the whole of Austria-Hungary is esti- 

 mated at 180,000 cwt., as against 321,000 cwt. last year. Reports from 

 France and Belgium are not favourable, but a good return is expected 

 from Russia. 



Messrs. Barth estimate the yield in England at 220,000 cwt., against 

 500,000 cwt., while the yield in the United States is put at about 

 350,000 cwt. 



On the whole, therefore, this year's world's crop of hops is approxim- 

 ately estimated at about 1,000,000 cwt., against 2,014,000 cwt. in 

 1908, subject to slight alterations according to the weather. 



The consumption of hops in the whole world amounts approximately 

 to 1,700,000 cwt., so that this year's deficit is rather large, but sub- 

 stantial quantities of old hops are stored in breweries, and are likely to 

 prevent high quotations. 



Hop Crop in Hungary.— H . M . Consul-General at Budapest, in a 

 report, dated August 5th last, states that the first reliable data 

 as to this year's hop crop in Hungary have been recently published. 

 In Siebenburger (Transylvania) it is expected that 30 per cent, of the 

 crops will be good, 60 per cent, middling, and the remainder poor.' 

 On the Alfold 35 per cent, of the crop is estimated as good, 60 per cent, 

 middling, and 5 per cent, weak ; south of the Danube 16 per cent, good 

 and 70 per cent, middling, while in North Hungary the crop appears 

 to be on the whole satisfactory. 



Area Under Hops in Russia. — According to the Recueil de donnees 

 statistiques de Vindustrie agricole, 1908, the cultivation of the hop in 

 [Russia is chiefly practised in the Government of Volhynia, where the 

 area in 1902 was 6,210 acres. In Poland 3,078 acres were grown, and 

 areas in other districts brought the total up to 15,687 acres, with a 



N 2 



