266 



REPORTS ON FOREIGN CROPS. 



[Dec. 189<L. 



REPORTS ON FOREIGN CROPS. 



Crops in the United States. 



The October report of the Statistician of the Department of 

 Agriculture of the United States contains the preliminary 

 estimates of the results of the past harvest in that country. 

 The quantities are shown in Winchester bushels. The returns 

 are stated to have indicated an average yield per acre of wheat 

 of about 11*9 bushels as compared with 12*5 bushels last year 

 and 1 31 bushels in 1894. The estimated area under the crop, 

 as reported by the Statistician in June last, appears to have 

 been 34,619,000 acres, so that a yield of 11*9 bushels per acre 

 would represent a total production of 411,966,100 bushels, as 

 compared with a yield of 467,103,000 bushels last year. 



The average yield per acre of oats, as reported in October,, 

 was 24*3 bushels on an -estimated acreage of 27,543,000 acres. 

 These figures would indicate a total yield of 669,294,900 bushels,, 

 compared with a production of 824,444,000 bushels last year. 

 The returns as to the quality of this grain are stated to represent 

 a general average of 749 against 91 last year. 



Rye has been harvested from an estimated acreage of 1,831,744* 

 acres ; the average yield is reported to have been 13*3 bushels 

 per acre, so that the total production in the harvest of 1896 would 

 appear to have been 24,362,195 bushels. 



According to the June report of the Statistician, the area sown 

 with barley was about 2,967,000 acres. The yield per acre is- 

 stated to have been 25*6 bushels, and the total production works- 

 out to 75,955,200 bushels. 



The average yield of maize per acre is stated in the November 

 report of the Statistician to have been 27*3 bushels against 

 26*2 bushels last year. It is a larger average than in any of: 

 the preceding six years, and indicates the largest maize crop 

 ever grown. The yield in the principal maize States varies 

 between 26*3 bushels in Missouri and 40*4 bushels in Illinois 

 The number of acres under this crop was estimated in a 

 previous report of the Statistician at eighty one million, the 

 crop would therefore appear to have amounted to a total pro- 

 duction of 2,211,300,000 bushels against 2,151,139,000 bushels 

 last year. 



The average yield of buckwheat per acre is 197 bushels 

 against 20'1 last year. 



The average indicated yield of potatoes is 86*8 bushels per 

 acre this year against 100*7 in 1895. 



