March 1897.] 



FOREIGN OFFICE REPORTS. 



409 



FOREIGN OFFICE REPORTS. 

 Wheat Production and Trade in Spain. 



The Board of Agriculture have received through the Foreign 

 Office a copy of a report issued last year by the Spanish Customs 

 Department upon the production and trade in wheat in Spain, 

 together with a summary of the report drawn up by Sir George 

 Bonham, Bart., Secretary of Her Majesty's Embassy at Madrid. 



The inquiry was instituted in consequence of the drought 

 which prevailed in Spain during the early part of last year, 

 when it was feared that there might be a failure of the crops. 

 This contingency fortunately did not arise, but the statistical 

 information obtained was embodied in a report from which the 

 following information concerning the production, consumption, 

 and trade in wheat is taken. 



The production of this cereal during the six years 1890 to 1895 

 is stated to have been as follows : — 





Year. 



Bushels. 







1890 

 1891 

 1892 

 1893 

 1894 



73,755,000 

 68,871,000 

 72,375,000 

 83,925,000 

 100,232,000 







Average 1890-94 



81,032,000 







1895 



78,737,000 





The amount produced in the different provinces varies very 

 considerably. Unfortunately no statistics as to the area culti- 

 vated are available, so that it is impossible to say what is the 

 average yield. 



It appears that the statistics forming the basis of the report 

 have been furnished by various Government departments, and 

 the information supplied thus sometimes covers the same ground. 

 The results do not always agree, and the conclusion is drawn 

 that there are not in Spain any statistics even approximately 

 correct relating to the production of wheat. There is, further, 

 every indication that the actual production is considerably 

 higher than that officially given. One cause assigned as a 

 reason for the understatement of the production is that the 

 land tax being based entirely on produce, the inducement to 

 make false returns is very great. It thus appears that the 



