Sept. 1896.] 



REPORTS ON FOREIGN CROPS. 



149 



The richness and cheapness of all fodder enabled farmers to 

 keep their live stock in good condition during the winter of 

 1895. The quantity of grass was large during the spring and 

 summer months, so that when the autumn came cattle and 

 dairying cows went into their winter quarters in capital condi- 

 tion, especially now that it has become the rule to give stock a 

 little extra cake and corn to help them on — strong food as it is 

 termed by Danish farmers. The consumption of this food in 

 1895 was very large, in fact, larger than in any previous year. 

 At the commencement of last winter attempts were made to 

 diminish the use of oil cake, and to replace it by corn and grain, 

 but it was found that a satisfactory yield of milk could not be 

 kept up without the use of oil-cake, which contains a large 

 quantity of albumen. The use of maize for strong food has 

 greatly decreased, as it has been, found to be too expensive, and 

 it has been replaced by Hussian barley and rye. 



In Jutland the change from fattening to dairying is still pro- 

 ceeding, and greater care is being taken to breed from the best 

 sorts, and to weed out all cows that are not first-rate milkers. 



Crops in France. 



The French Ministry of Agriculture issued, at the end of July 

 last, a report respecting the condition of the crops on the 15th of 

 that month. 



This periodical report is tabulated from the observations made 

 and supplied by the departmental professors of agriculture, and 

 the following numerical scale is adopted to indicate briefly the 

 state of the crops: — 100 implies "very good"; 80, "good"; 

 60, "rather good"; 50, "passable"; 30, "indifferent"; 20, 

 " bad." According to this method, the state of the crops was 

 reported to be as shown in the following table : — 





No. of Departments represented by 



Crop. 



















99 to 



79 to 



59 to 



49 to 



29 to 





100. 



80. 



60. 



50, 



30. 



20. 



Winter wheat - 



4 



59 



17 



1 



1 



i ' 



Spring wheat 





20 



19 



• 9 







Rye"- - - - 



11 



52 



15 



.2 . 







Oats - - 



2 



33 



30 



8 



3 



l ^ 



| Barley - 



2 



25 



31 



■ r g y 



■ '? 



l 



I Green crops - - - - 



1 



29 



31 



11 



- .,7 



l 



1 Clovers 



3 



24 



34 



12 



10 



l 



I Pastures 



2 



15 



43 



12 



9 





1 Potatoes - 



9 



46 



25 



5 



1 





Spring wheat and oats were not grown in 36 and seven de- 

 partments respectively. In a few cases, which are not included 

 in the above table, the crops had been harvested at the elate of 

 the enquiry. 



c 2 



