404 



Reports on Foreign Crops. 



pared with the average crop of the past five years, and it 

 will be seen that the cereal harvest appears to be generally 

 above the average. 



Crop. 



Area. 



Production. 













1898. 



1893-97. 



1898. 



1893-97. 



Wheat - 



Acres, 



Acres. 



Quarters. 



Quarters. 



16,951,000 



17,053,000 



45,049,000 



37,597,000 



Rye- 



3,689,000 



3,740,000 



8,829,000 



7,942,000 



Barley 



2,089,000 



2, 158,000 



6,319,000 



5,299,000 



Oats 



9,690,000 



9,682,000 



36,227,000 



28,980,000 



Crops in Germany. 



• The preliminary official estimates of the German harvest of 

 1898, based upon trial threshings throughout the Empire, 

 indicate that all the crops have been above the average of 

 the last five years. In the case of winter wheat the yield 

 was returned as 2j\ bushels per acre, or two bushels more than 

 the mean. In Saxony, where the yield appears on the whole to 

 have been highest, 39 bushels per acre were reported. Spring 

 wheat is put at 23-8 bushels, or about 2\ bushels more than 

 usual. The yield of winter rye was estimated at 22*7 bushels 

 per acre, which is nearly two bushels above the average of the 

 last five years ; the yield is heaviest in Saxony and Hesse. 

 With regard to barley, the yield for the whole empire was 

 30-8 bushels per acre, or three bushels higher than in 1 897. 

 Saxony gave an average of 37*8, and Hesse of 39 bushds per 

 acre. Of oats, a yield of 38-6 bushels is indicated ; Saxony 

 reporting- as much as 51-4 bushels, while the Hessian return 

 is nearly as high. 



Potatoes show an average yield of 94*8 cwts. to the acre, 

 about 5 cwts. more than usual, the heaviest returns again 

 coming from Saxony (121 "6 cwts.), while the lowest yields 

 are reported from the south-west. Clover and lucerne, as 

 well as meadow hay, also appear above the average, the 

 latter being estimated at 34*8 cwts. per acre, while clover and 



