174 



Notes on 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, 1911.) 



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- 



