336 



Agricultural Returns of 1905. 



[SEPT., 



no less than 421,701 acres, or over 30 per cent, and bringing the 

 acreage up to a greater total than in any year since 1900. Conse- 

 quent, to some extent at least, upon the restoration of so large 

 a breadth of land to wheat, the two other principal corn crops — 

 barley and oats — shew a large decline, amounting in each case 

 to between 6 and 7 per cent. The barley acreage is much the 

 lowest ever returned, while that of oats, which had, as frequently 

 noticed on previous occasions, been, on the whole, increasing for 

 several years past, has gone back to about the level of 1902. 

 The detailed figures regarding these crops are as follows : — 



Crop. 



1905. 



1904. 



Increase or Decrease. 







Acres. 



Acres. 



Acres. 



Per Cent. 



Wheat 





1,796,985 



1,375,284 



+421,701 



+ 307 



Barley 





1,713.664 



1,840,684 



- 127,020 



- 6-9 



Oats ... 





3.051,376 



3,252,962 



- 201.586 



- 6-2 



Rye ... 





62,197 



55,714 1 



+ 6483 



+ H-6 



Beans 





254,765 



252,782 



+ 1,983 



+ o*8 



Peas... 





175,235 



175,608 



373 



- 0"2 



Among other crops nearly 40,000 acres have been added to 

 the acreage of potatoes, making this the first occasion since 187 1, 

 when some 628,000 acres were returned, that over 600,000 acres 

 have been returned as under this crop in Great Britain. The 

 decline of nearly 15,000 acres in turnips and swedes is, relatively 

 to the total acreage under this crop, small, but it is sufficient to 

 reduce the aggregate below 1,600,000 acres for the first time on 

 record. Mangolds exhibit a small increase, and once more 

 .exceed 400,000 acres. 



Hops show the first increase in area for the past six years. 



The green and other crops may be summarised as follows : — 



Crop. 



1905. 



1904. 



Increase or Decrease. 





Acres. 



Acres. 



Acres. 



Per Cent. 



Potatoes 



608,471 



570,209 



+ 38,262 



+ 67 



Turnips and Swedes 



1,589,273 



1,604,104 



-14,831 



-0-9 



Mangold 



404,123 



398,827 



+ 5,296 



H i"3 



Cabbage and Kohlrabi 



85,345 



80,214 



+" 5,131 



+ 6-4 



Rape ... 



93,881 



97,772 



- 3,891 



-4-0 



Vetches or Tares 



136,429 



128,229 



+ 8,200 



+6-4 



Lucerne 



53,4io 



55,724 



- 2,314 



-4-2 



Hops ... 



48,968 

 78,822 



47,799 



+ 1,169 

 + 875 



+24 



Small Fruit ... 



77,947 



-Kim 



Other Crops ... 



106,561 



101,510 



+ 5,051 



+ 5-0 



