254 



REPORTS ON FOREIGN CROPS. 

 Crops in the United States. 



The September report of the Statistician of the United 

 States Department of Agriculture furnishes the following 

 particulars of the condition of the principal crops in that 

 country on September ist, 1898. 



The average condition of the whole wheat crop, when 

 harvested, was 86*7, or one point higher than the average of 

 last year, and 12*1 points higher than that of 1896. The 

 Statistician remarks that, in accordance with its usual prac- 

 tice, the Department has not yet made any quantitative esti- 

 mates of the wheat crop, and will not do so until the revision 

 of the wheat acreage is completed, which will show some 

 increase over the preliminary figures. 



The condition of maize was 84-1, or 4-8 points higher than 

 at the corresponding" period last year, but 6*9 points lower 

 than in 1896. Rye showed an average condition of 89-4, a 

 reduction, compared with last year, of 07 point; but an 

 improvement over 1896 of 2'6 points. The average condition 

 of oats was 79.0, or 5*6 points lower than in 1897. Barley had 

 an average condition of 79*2, or 7-2 points lower than last 

 year. The average condition of potatoes w^as 777, or 11 

 points better than at the corresponding period of 1897. 



The Indian Wheat Crop, 1897-98. 

 The final General Memorandum on the Indian wheat crop 

 of 1897-98, which was issued by the Statistical Department 

 of the Indian Government in June last stated that the latest 

 returns showed that the harvest in Northern India was better 

 than was predicted in the previous memorandum. The crop in 

 Sind continued to do well, and the yield was good. The 

 area sown in the Punjab was larger by 368,400 acres than the 

 estimate in the second forecast, and 16 per cent, above the 



