246 



Notes on Crop Prospects Abroad. [june, 



wheat is "good" in seventeen departments (265,000 acres), "fairly 

 good" in thirty-five departments (270,000 acres), and "average" in two 

 departments (79,000 acres). Barley, oats, rye, and mixed corn are 

 "good" or "fairly good" in the great majority of the departments. 



Austria. — According to the official report the condition of the crops 

 at mid-May was as follows: — Wheat, 1*9; rye, 2*5; barley, 2*2; oats,. 

 2*3; maize, 2 2; potatoes, 2'4. The condition of the crops at mid-April 

 is given in the table above furnished by the International Agricultural 

 Institute (Dornhusch, 27th May). 



India. — The final official estimate gives the total production of 

 wheat in 19 10 as 9,560,000 tons, compared with 7,580,000 tons in 1909, 

 and an average for the five years 1902-6 of 7,845,200 tons. The yield 

 of linseed is estimated at 428,000 tons, against 289,000 tons in 1909, and 

 a five years' average of 445,800 tons. (Beerbohm, 27th May.) 



United States. — The Crop Reporting Board of the Department of 

 Agriculture state that the average condition of winter wheat on June 

 1 st was 8o'o, as compared with 82*1 on May 1st, 1910, 8o"7 on June ist, 

 1909, and 8i"9 the mean of the averages of the past ten years. Pre- 

 liminary returns put the acreage of spring wheat sown at 19,742,000 

 acres, an increase of 7*3 per cent., compared with the acreage sown last 

 year. The average condition of spring wheat on June 1st was 92*8, com- 

 pared with 95*2 on June 1st, 1909, and a ten-year average of 93'c The 

 total reported area of oats is 34,380,000 acres, an increase of 3*5 per 

 cent, over last year. The condition on June 1st was 91*0, against 88 7 

 on June 1st, 1909, and a ten-year average of 88'4« The acreage of barley 

 is reported to be o'7 per cent, larger than last year, and the condition 

 on June 1st was 89*6, compared with 90*6 last year, and a ten-year 

 average of 91 '3. 



The Board of Agriculture and Fisheries have been furnished by the 

 Board of Trade with the following report, based on returns from 

 correspondents in various districts, on the 

 Agricultural Labour demand for agricultural labour in May. 



in England Agricultural employment was generally 



during May. regular, though a few day labourers lost time 

 through rain in the early part of May. There 

 was a better demand for such men than in the previous month on 

 account of hoeing, potato planting, and other seasonal work, but the 

 supply was sufficient in most districts covered by the reports. 



Northern Counties. — Employment was generally regular in these 

 counties, with the supply of labour about equalled by the demand. 

 Some reductions in wages of men servants were reported at the Whit- 

 suntide hirings in Cumberland and North Lancashire. At the May 

 hirings in Yorkshire there was, on the whole, little change in wages 

 compared with the previous year. 



Midland Counties. — Employment was regular, except in the case of 

 a few day labourers, who lost time through rain. This class of labour 

 was usually in good demand for such work as preparing the land for 

 root crops, planting potatoes, and hoeing corn, and mention of a surplus 

 in the supply was exceptional in the reports. 



Eastern Counties. — Some day labourers lost a little time through 

 rain in the early part of the month ; otherwise these men were in good 



