174 
Notes ox Crop Prospects Abroad. 
[MAY, 
The formation of wood is quite satisfactory. The blossoming is back- 
ward on account of the cold weather of March. (Statistische Nach- 
richten, April nth, 191 1.) 
Argentina. — H.M. Charge d 'Affaires at Buenos Aires reports that 
there were heavy rains at the end of February which were of great 
benefit, improving the prospects of late-sown maize, and enabling field 
work to be proceeded with. Only slight rains occurred, however, 
throughout March. 
Bulb Crop of Netherlands. — H.M. Consul at Amsterdam reports 
that, according to the Handelsblad, the bulbs in the Lisse district were 
seriously damaged by the frosts in the early part of April. The extent 
of the damage could not be estimated, but it was feared that the 
crop would be a total failure. Similar reports have been heard from 
bulb growers in the neighbourhood of Haarlem. 
The President of the Local Florists' Association of Lisse, however, 
in a communication of April 20th to H.M. Consul, calls in question 
the accuracy of the above statements, and reports that the hyacinths 
in the district of Lisse look excellent ; the early flowers were killed 
by frost, which, however, did not hurt the leaves, and a good crop 
is expected. 
Further statements in the Handelsblad also indicate that the damage 
due to frost was overestimated, and the prospects for hyacinths and 
other bulbs are now considered to be good, both as regards quality 
and quantity. {Board of Trade Journal, April 13th and 27th, and 
May 4th, 191 1.) 
Russia. — A report by the official Commercial Gazette of St. Peters- 
burg, of April 16th, on the condition of winter grain in South Russia 
in the middle of April, has been forwarded by H.M. Commercial 
Attache at St. Petersburg. The report states that as a result of the 
meteorological conditions prevailing and of the very late appearance 
of spring, the condition of winter grain in the south of Russia, so 
far as it is yet possible to report, gives rise to no anxiety. In general 
the reports are fully satisfactory, rye especially having suffered less 
than other grains from change of weather. Wheat in places is not 
quite so satisfactory. 
Bulgaria.— The Nachrichten fur Handel (Berlin) of April 20th pub- 
lishes the following crop report for Bulgaria : — 
The weather in Bulgaria during the past winter has not been 
particularly favourable to the development of winter seeds. During 
the early part of the winter the weather was extremely mild and damp, 
with little snow, and not until the second half of January were there 
any strong winds and severe cold. In the north-east districts of 
Bulgaria, however, heavy falls of snow protected the seed from frost, 
but in other parts of the country there was little snow, and it did not 
remain long on the ground. Owing to the mild weather in March 
the prospects are at present very good for spring seeds. The vineyards 
and orchards are in good condition and have not suffered from frost. 
United States. — The Crop Reporting Board of the Bureau of 
Statistics of the Department of Agriculture estimates, from the reports 
of its correspondents, the area under winter wheat on May 1st as 
31,367,000 acres, as compared with 29,044,000 acres and 27,871,000 
acres on the corresponding dates in 19 10 and 1909. The average con- 
