H4 



HARVEST AND CROP REPORTS. 



Wheat Crop of India. 



Wheat-sowings in India were everywhere made under 

 somewhat adverse conditions, owing to the early withdrawal 

 of the monsoon, and the winter rains gave a very inadequate 

 supply of moisture to the land wherever they fell, 

 while they were entirely absent from Western and Central 

 India. A comparatively small yield is anticipated from the- 

 wheat grown on unirngated soil in the Punjab and elsewhere- 

 in Xorthern India, though irrigated wheat has done fairly 

 well. In die Central Provinces, Berar and Bombay, rats and 

 insects have ravaged the crop, already grown on a restricted 

 area, both because of deficient rain at the sowing season and of 

 the greater favour attached by cultivators just then to the 

 cheaper grains. It may be anticipated, therefore, that the 

 wheat crop generally will be substantially below the average. 



In the Punjab, the area under wheat is estimated at about 

 6,119,000 acres, or 22 per cent, less than the area entered in 

 last year's final report. It is thought that owing to the- 

 drought, the greater part of the unirrigated area, nearly 

 3,000,000 acres, will fail, the irrigated crop being about 

 average. In the Xorth-west Provinces the crop on unirrigated 

 land will be poor, and from 7,5 to go per cent, of the normal 

 on irrigated soil. In Bengal, the area sown is estimated at 

 1.404,000 acres, a yield three-quarters of the average being 

 expected. Prospects are somewhat better in the Central 

 Provinces, but the area sown, about 2,3 19,000 acres, is 23 per 

 cent, below the average. In Bombay, only 1,670,000 acres,, 

 or 37 per cent, below the average, were reported sown. 



[Second General Memorandum on the IVheat Crop of India, iqoi-2.~\ 



Crops in the United States. 

 The Statistician of the Department of Agriculture states in 

 "The Crop Reporter" for Alay, 1902, that the area under- 

 winter wheat in the United States on Alay 1st last was about 

 27,103,000 acres, as compared with 28,267,000 acres in 1901. 

 The condition of the crop at the same date was represented 



