Dec. 1896.] FOREIGN AND COLONIAL OFFICE REPORTS. 313 



for the most part to Ireland, especially the superior quality grown 

 in Moldavia, and known as " red maize." 



Next in order comes wheat, the richest districts being those 

 bordering on the Danube, though an excellent quality of grain is 

 produced in many of the districts of Moldavia, from whence, 

 in consequence of its superior quality, it is shipped chiefly to 

 Dantzig, and, it is stated, often passes as Baltic wheat. 



Although the means of cultivation and of reaping are still in 

 some cases of a somewhat primitive nature, a large quantity of 

 English and American reaping machines are used, and the wooden 

 ^plough, which only penetrated to four inches in depth, has been 

 •almost everywhere replaced by one of German manufacture. 

 Few machine ploughs are used, except one kind, which, 

 however, is costly, and in many cases beyond the means of the 

 farmers and landed proprietors. The methods adopted in sowing 

 are also still somewhat defective, and manure is nowhere used, 

 so that the soil, though of very rich quality, is liable in some 

 cases to become overworked ; bub land is generally allowed to lie 

 fallow every two years. The greater part of the grain is exported 

 to the United Kingdom, though Austria, and more especially 

 Germany, now receive a certain portion, as a result of the 

 competition of American and Indian wheat in the British 

 market. 



In consequence of the wish expressed by an English firm to 

 be put into direct communication with the millers of Roumania, 

 a meeting was held at BacaQ, in Moldavia, in April last with a 

 view of securing some united action for the export of flour. 

 The mills, owned by these millers are calculated to produce 12,000 

 a waggons " (trucks of 10 tons each) of flour per annum. The 

 chief mill is situated at Botoshani, and produces some 5,000 

 " waggons," or 50,000 tons of flour, annually. Most of these 

 millers are, however, not capitalists, and they would have to 

 combine in order to ensure the satisfactory working of this scheme. 



The cultivation of barley is not so large as it has been, but 

 since the starting of various breweries and distilleries in the 

 country it is hoped that the production of this cereal may be 

 further encouraged and increased. 



The other crops are oats, rape- seed (colza), used in the manu- 

 facture of oil, millet, rye, hemp, &c. The cultivation of hemp in 

 the country is at a very low ebb, that which is required for the 

 local rope factories being mostly imported from abroad. 



[Foreign Office Report, Annual Series, No. 1773. Price 4Jd] 



Russian Department of Agriculture. 



In his Report to the Foreign Office for the year 1895 on the 

 trade of St. Petersburg, Mr. John Michell, Her Majesty's Consul- 

 General at that city, states that although a separate Ministry 

 of Agriculture was created in Russia in 1893 for the purpose of 



