862 Agricultural Conditions in Great Britain, [jan., 



east was free from the calamity. The Royal Agricultural and Botanical 

 Institute at Munich has urged upon agriculturists the need for stringent 

 measures, and up to October ist, 1910, had distributed rat virus 

 prepared by the Institute sufficient for 150,000 acres of land, and 

 poisoned grain and barium carbonate for another 50,000 acres. The 

 measures for the destruction of the mice have, according to the Praktische 

 Blatter fiir Pflanzenschutz (October, 19 10), reached proportions never 

 before equalled in Germany. Over 400 parishes have taken action in 

 common against the pest. The best results have been obtained from 

 the use of the Institute's virus, which has an additional recommenda- 

 tion in being cheaper than poisoned grain. 



Recently fumigation has also been tried, but preliminary tests have 

 not been favourable to its adoption on a large scale. Further experiments 

 are, however, to be carried out by the Institute at Munich. 



Horse Breeding in Poland. — H.M. Consul at Warsaw (Mr. Clive 

 Bayley) states that the Champion Cleveland Bay Stallion of the York- 

 shire Agricultural Society's show at Leeds has been purchased by a 

 large Polish breeder, and other purchases in Poland of thoroughbred 

 stock from England are also reported. High prices were realised for 

 horses in that country throughout 19 10 owing to the large demand 

 from Germanv. 



The " Monthly Agricultural Report " issued by the Board of Agri- 

 culture and Fisheries on January 9th gives the following general 

 summary of agricultural conditions in Great 

 . Britain : — 



.Report on Agri- The Crop Re p 0rt ers of the Board, in re- 



cultural Conditions port i n g on the state of the crops and the agri- 



in Great Britain cultural conditions on January ist, refer to 

 on January 1st. the very wet weather prevailing during the 

 month,- particularly in England and the ex- 

 treme north of Scotland. In many districts of England, in fact, there 

 were severe floods, the effect of which is difficult to gauge, though it 

 is feared that some of the wheat may have rotted, and some areas may 

 have to be resown. Where the land has not been flooded, such of the 

 new wheat as was sown early appears generally fairly satisfactory, 

 b.ut the later sowings are backward and sometimes weakly. In Scot- 

 land the wheat looks well. 



The unfavourable weather hindered all autumn cultivation, and 

 scarcely any progress was made, except in southern and central Scot- 

 land. Of the area intended for wheat, something over 80 per cent, 

 is reported to have been sown by January ist, as compared with about 

 three-fourths on December ist; but greater advance was made in Scot- 

 land than in England. Comparing the actual breadth sown at the end 

 of the year, it would seem that there is an increase of 6 or 7 per cent, 

 in the total area as compared with 1909, while on December ist the 

 increase over 1909 was about 10 per cent. The difference in the 

 weather conditions in the two Decembers is indicated by this decline. 

 In Wales a considerably smaller area is stated to have been put under 

 wheat this year, and in England the increase is more marked than in 

 Scotland. 



"Seeds" are in most districts a full plant and look well, though in 

 many counties patchy areas are to be found here and there. 



