Belgian Agricultural Inquiry. 



473 



The broad feature of the change has thus been a decrease 

 in the cultivation of com ; the enlarged area under grass 

 has, however, not compensated the diminished acreage under 

 cereals, and as a net result the whole cultivated area has 

 suffered a reduction of 165,000 acres, or 3-I percent. 



Considering more in detail the individual crops which have 

 been grouped together in the above table, it should, in the 

 first place, be remarked that the new returns effect very 

 considerable alterations in the total production of the crops 

 as hitherto published ; not only because the areas hitherto 

 assigned to each kind of produce have been completely 

 modified, but also because the new returns show that the 

 estimates made in 1895 of the amount produced per acre 

 require amendment. In this census a return of the total 

 quantities raised was demanded, and the yield per acre was 

 then obtained by dividing the total production by the area. 

 As an instance of the difference made it may be mentioned that 

 the yield of wheat in 1895 was at the time given as 26-8 

 bushels per acre, while the complete returns now show it to 

 have been just 28 66. In the subjoined tables, comparing 

 the areas under different crops in 1895 and 1880, the figures 

 of production have therefore been added. The particulars 

 for the chief cereals and pulse are as follows : — 



Crops. 



Area. 



Production, 1895. 



1895. 



1880. 



Per Acre. 



Total. 



Wheat - - - - 

 Spelt - - - - 

 Rye ----- 

 Barley - - . - 

 Oats - - - - - 

 Beans . . - . 

 Other cereals and pulse 



Acres. 

 445.531 



83,619 

 699,039 



99,400 

 614,274 



39,433 

 82,763 



Acres. 



681,552 



129,710 



685,771 

 99,247 

 616,230 



47,147 

 130,700 



Bushels. 

 287 



21-4 



26-5 



38-2 



40*2 



28-6 



Bushels. 

 12,769,264 



1,789,744 

 18,550,640 



3.805,838 

 24,675,120 



1,126,236 



Total - - - 



2,064,959 



2,390,357 







The area under wheat has thus undergone a contraction ot 

 over a third, and that under spelt the same ; while pulse has 

 also considerably diminished. The other cereals do not 



