lOO 



Reports on Foreign Crops. 



the agricultural situation on May loth was as follows: — 

 Favourable rain had fallen early in the month generally 

 throughout the country and the condition of the growing 

 crops was satisfactory. In some districts where insufficient 

 rain had fallen the corn stalks had a tendency to over- growth. 

 Late autumn-sown crops showed an improvement on the 

 whole, but would only give at best an average yield. In 

 many districts a good deal of damage had been done by 

 worms, especially to wheat and rye ; the Hessian fly and 

 other insects have also done some harm to winter and spring- 

 sown crops, but the amount of loss was unimportant. 



Agricultural operations throughout the kingdom had been 

 favoured by good weather. The sowing of turnips, maize,, 

 and potatoes was completed and the first crop of new 

 potatoes gathered in. Winter rye, barley, and particularly 

 rape, were reported to be strong. Winter wheat in most of 

 the Alfold was still very low ; barley and oats were fairly 

 high and looked well. 



Since 1895 there has been considerable change in th& 

 amount of different kinds of cereals sown in each year,, 

 and it is probable that further change will be found this 

 year on account of a deficiency of winter seed. It may, how- 

 ever, be reckoned that there were under cultivation 7,000,000 

 acres of wheat, or about 747,000 acres less than last year^ 

 The area under rye could scarcely be estimated at more than 

 2,300,000 acres. Spring barley and oats covered an in- 

 creased area, and the same was the case with maize, millet^ 

 etc. 



The general improvement in harvest prospects made it 

 possible to estimate a yield of 16.5 to 17.5 bushels of wheat^ 

 per acre, or a total of 120 to 125 million bushels as against 

 90 millions last year. There existed no ground for appre- 

 hension that the corn crop would fall below the average — 

 indeed, in several provinces the outlook was far more 

 favourable than it has been for some years past. 



Rye was expected to yield about 35 million bushels, 

 only a little better than that of last year. In some favoured 

 parts the promise was greater, and the rye was already in 

 bloom. 



