THE JOURNAL 



OF THE 



BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



Vol. IV. No. 4. MARCH, 1898. 



THE POTATO AND HAY CROPS OF 1897. 



The December number of this Journal contained the pre- 

 liminary estimates of the yield of the principal grain crops 

 of Great Britain in 1897. It is now possible, as a further 

 instalment of the complete Produce Returns for the year, to 

 indicate the general nature of the estimates received by the 

 Board of Agriculture as to the aggregate production and 

 yield per acre of the potato and hay crops of the past season. 



Dealing with the first of these, it will be observed that the 

 total production of potatoes in Great Britain is placed at a 

 lower figure than has ever before been recorded since the 

 Produce Estimates were begun in 1884. 



Potatoes. 



Estimated Total 

 Produce. 



Estimated Yield 

 per Acre. 



Average 



Yield 

 per Acre, 

 1887-96. 





1897. 



1 



1896. 



1897. 



1896. 





Tons. 



Tons. 



Tons. 



Tons. 



Tons. 



England 



1,896,000 



2,539,000 





6'35 



6 -06 



Wales - 



166,000 



218,000 



5-IO 



6-45 



5-82 



Scotland - - 



546,000 



805,000 



4-55 



6 -20 



576 



Great Britain 



2,608,000 



3,562,000 



5-17 



6-32 



5-97 



This result is, of course, partly due to the diminished 

 acreage, which, as the statistics published last August showed, 



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