58 Report on Produce of the Crops for 1909. [april, 



The relation of the yield per acre in 1909 to the average of 

 the preceding 10 years, represented as 100, is shown thus : 

 Wheat, 107; barley, 111 ; oats, 104; beans, 96; peas, 95; 

 potatoes, 109; turnips and swedes, 120; mangolds, 107; clover 

 hay, 97 ; meadow hay, 96 ; and hops, 71 . 



It is remarked that, while the crops grown in 1909 were 

 bulky, the condition was seriously affected by the weather 

 during harvest, while in many districts the quantity saved 

 and available for market was substantially less than that 

 actually grown. Any calculation, therefore, of the value of 

 the crops grown, on the assumption that the whole of them 

 were sold, is more than usually open to the objection which 

 has been previously pointed out in connection with all such 

 hypothetical valuations. Subject to this qualification, the 

 total value of the crops gown in 1909, on the assumption that 

 the whole of them were valued at the market price, is given 

 as follows : — 



Wheat, ^12,640,000; barley, ,£10,125,000; oats, 

 ^13,392,000; potatoes, ,£9,921,000; clover, &c. hay, 

 ^12,478,000; meadow hay, ^20,643,000. 



Mr. Rew observes that, in consequence partly of the heavier 

 crops grown and partly of a slight increase in the average price 

 of wheat and oats, the total nominal value of the corn crops was 

 considerably greater in 1909 than in 1908, but as the propor- 

 tion marketed was probably smaller in the later year, it may be 

 doubted whether the gross returns were actually larger. In 

 the case of potatoes and hay the better prices in 1909 would 

 have made up for the smaller crops if an equal proportion 

 had been marketed. 



Among the other details given in the report is a table of the 

 total average production of hops in England for four over- 

 lapping decennial periods, showing a decline from 470,731 

 cwt. in 1885-94 to 401,272 cwt. in 1900-9. 



