172 



Notes on Crop Prospects Abroad. 



[may, 



based solely upon the appearance of the vegetation, which is sometimes 

 deceptive. 



It should further be noted that, when the condition of the crop is 

 expressed by, say, 120, no matter how carefully this judgment may 

 be made, nor how great an expert may be the person judging the 

 condition, this does not mean that an outturn | greater than the average 

 will be obtained, but only that the present condition is such as to predict 

 a yield } above the average. The present condition may change from 

 one moment to another, and the numerical expression must then also 

 change. For example, the condition of a certain crop to-day is such 





Wheat. 



Rye. 



Barley. 



-Oats. 





April 1st, 



April 1st, 



April 1st, 



April 1st, 



April 1st, 



April 1st, 



April 1st, April ist, 





1911. 



1910. 



1911. 



1910. 



1911. 



1910. 



1911. , 1910. 



Belgium 



105 



90 



1 IO 



95 



105 



95 





Denmark 



IO4 



97 



108 



97 









Spain 



I05-I IO 





IO5-I IO 





IO5-IIO 





IO5-IIO 



Luxemburg ... 



IOO 



90 



IOO 



95 



I02 



94 



I OO — J 



Netherlands ... 



I08 



no 



I [ I 



105 



108 



I IO 





Sweden 



IOO-IIO 



100 



95-100 



IOO 









Switzerland ... 



95 



96 



94 



92 



IOO 



103 





Japan 



100 



98 







IOO 





- ' - 



(100 = average yield of past ten years. Particulars of the areas sown in the 

 autumns of 1910 and 1909 were given in the Journal for March, p. 1037.) 



as to give hope of a yield 20 per cent, above the average, and this con- 

 dition is represented by 120. A fortnight later, floods or insect pests 

 may make this estimate fall to 90 per cent, of an average yield, which 

 means that at the end of this fortnight the condition is represented 

 by 90. 



The following supplementary information as regards the condition 

 of the autumn-sown crops in various countries not included in the 

 above table is also given : — 



United States of America. — The following table shows the conditions 

 of winter wheat and of rye on April 1st, 191 1, expressed in a percentage 

 of a "normal" condition: — 





Conditions on April i 





Crop. 











1911. 



1910. 



Average 

 1901-1910. 





«3'3 

 89-3 



808 



86*9 

 90 '2 



Rye 



92-3 



France. — Weather conditions were exceedingly favourable during the 

 first three weeks of March. The spell of cold weather during the last 

 days of March proved of short duration, and the crops are now 

 strong enough to resist any further attack of ungenial weather. On 



