June 1896.] 



REPORTS ON FOREIGN CROPS. 



31 



This increase is attributed to the fact that considerable tracts 

 previously cultivated with cereals were then devoted to the 

 cultivation of the vine, and now that the wine trade is no longer 

 in a prosperous condition the attention of farmers is directed to 

 the advantage of returning to the practice of corn growing, as 

 even in good years the imports of wheat amount to 140,000 

 tons, representing a loss to the country of 1,000,000Z. 



It should be stated that the harvest in Spain takes place in 

 June, so that the continued drought will be most disastrous to 

 the corn crops. 



The foregoing information has been supplied through the 

 Foreign Office, by Sir Geo. T. Bonham, Bart., the Secretary of 

 Her Majesty's Embassy at Madrid. 



Crops in the United States. 



The condition of winter wheat in the United States on the 1st 

 day of May, as reported by the Statistician of the United States 

 Department of Agriculture, averaged 827 for the whole country, 

 as against 77'1 in the previous month. This average is nearly the 

 same as the average for the same date last year, when the 

 condition was put at 82*9, and it is 1*3 per cent, better than 

 that of the same date in 1894. The returns showed that excepting 

 in a few States, there had been a general improvement in the 

 condition of winter wheat throughout the country, and the 

 reports, collected through the climatic section of the Crop Service, 

 of weather covering the week, embracing the last three days of 

 April and the first four of May, compared with reports of the 

 previous week, indicated a general improvement of condition in 

 winter wheat in the principal States, but the appearance of the 

 crop was not so promising in Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania 

 and Oklahoma. 



The average condition of winter rye on May 1st was 8 7 '7 as 

 compared with 88'7 on the same date last year. 



The average condition of winter barley was assessed at 89*2 

 against 94 and 62*3 respectively in the month of May of the two 

 preceding years. The proportion of spring ploughing done on 

 May 1st was returned at 79*6, which is slightly above the 

 proportion for an average year, though 3*2 less than last year. 

 Mowing lands and spring pasture were reported to be in good 

 condition. 



In his April report, the Statistician remarked that dry weather 

 at seeding time, from which scarcely a county was exempt, 

 largely retarded or prevented germination throughout the 

 winter grain region and the winter covering of snow was 

 exceptionally scanty. Bye suffered in most States less than 

 wheat. 



