19 1 o.] Notes on Crop Prospects Abroad. 



7i 



regarding the condition of the grain crops in the Governments of 

 Kherson, Kharkov, Poltava, Taurida and Kieff : — 



Winter-sown wheat and rye are in splendid condition, the plants 

 being strong and well advanced, with long roots. The weather has 

 been most favourable, exceptionally mild with much snow and rain, 

 and since there is much moisture in the ground the crop prospects are 

 exceedingly good. The acreage under winter-sown grain is rather less 

 than usual, owing to the prolonged drought in the early autumn. The 

 sowing of the spring crops will be undertaken during March. 



The Nachrichten fiir Handel und Industrie (Berlin) publishes the 

 following particulars, taken from a Russian paper, of the Russian 

 winter crops in 1909 : — ■ 



In the seventy-three governments and territories of Russia, 

 85,771,300 acres were in 1909 sown with wheat and rye, an increase 

 of 2,646,500 acres, or 3*18 per cent., as compared with the previous 

 year, and of 1,635,500 acres, or 1*87 per cent., as compared with the 

 average of the five years 1904-8. The acreage under wheat and rye 

 increased particularly in the Trans-Dnieper district (by 1,447,000 acres, 

 or i6'93 per cent.), in the southern Steppe district (by 861,000 acres, or 

 15*38 per cent.), and in the Central Asiatic district (by 40*72 per cent.). 

 The total production of winter wheat in 1909 was 5,498,300 tons, and 

 of winter rye 21,947,600 tons. 



Roumania. — A despatch from the British Minister at Bucharest 

 states that the outlook in Roumania is described as most satisfactory. 

 Farmers have not seen such promising conditions for years. The 

 surface sown for 1910 is greater by 750,000 acres than that sown in 

 1909, and the surface sown with wheat alone is five million acres. If 

 the present favourable climatic conditions continue the harvest should 

 be quite exceptional, both as regards quantity and quality. 



Australia. — The Imperial Trade Correspondent at Perth (Mr. J. F. 

 Conigrave) reports, under date of February 15th, that the present 

 season has been exceptionally favourable throughout Australia for the 

 production of cereals, with the result that there has been a record 

 aggregate yield. The estimated total yield for the current season for the 

 whole Commonwealth, with the exception of Queensland, for which 

 statistics are not yet available, is 92,071,764 bushels. Victoria is at the 

 head of the States with 28,535,250 bushels and then follow New South 

 Wales with 25,600,000 bushels and South Australia with 20,139,575 

 bushels. Western Australia has established a record in its yield of 

 wheat this year, the aggregate estimate being 5,978,829 bushels. The 

 average yield of wheat for the whole Commonwealth was 13*13 bushels 

 per acre, as against n'89 bushels last season.— (Bo ard of Trade Journal, 

 March 17, 1910.) 



India. — The Second General Memorandum on the wheat crop for 

 the season 1909-10, issued by the Director-General of Commercial 

 Intelligence, states that the total area sown is now reported to be 

 27,710,600 acres, which is to be compared with the 25,863,300 acres of 

 last year, and with the 27,901,500 acres forming the average of the five 

 years ending 1907-8. As compared with last year, there is an increase 

 of 1,847,300 acres, or 7*1 per cent., whereas the acreage still falls short 

 of the older average by 190,900 acres. The estimates for the States 

 of Mewar, Banswara, and Dholpur, have not come to hand ; but these 



