Reports on Foreign Crops. 



531 



the poor and heavy loss to the rich. Last year the potato 

 crop was more or less of a failure. At first alarmist reports 

 prevailed and there were apprehensions that such a famine 

 might be experienced from the failure of potatoes as 

 prevailed in Eastern European Russia from the failure of 

 cereals. Happily, however, although the crop was un- 

 doubtedly everywhere bad, and in many places a failure, the 

 results were not so disastrous as to cause actual suffering' 

 amongst the poor, except in certain limited localities, 

 although it was feared that they would be hard put to it to get 

 through winter on account of the great rise in price. Still it 

 was expected that serious losses would be incurred by those 

 who grow potatoes for sale, although, on the other hand, the 

 good grain harvest and high prices of cereals might afford a 

 certain measure of compensation. , 



The yield of potatoes in Poland is on an average about 125 

 million cwt, but the out-turn of the past year would, it was 

 feared, yield not more than two-thirds of that quantity. 



The Swedish Harvest of 1898. 

 The estimated returns of the harvest of 1898 in Sweden have 

 been issued by the Swedish Statistical Bureau, who state that 

 the results may be regarded as "fairly good." The yields of 

 wheat, barley, and mixed corn, and especially of oats and 

 hay, were very large, and the quality of the crops very 

 satisfactory. With regard to potatoes the production was 

 much below the average, and the quality very inferior. The 

 estimated produce of the principal crops is shown below. 



Crop. 



Wheat - 

 Rye 



Barley - 

 Oats 



Mixed Corn 

 Peas 

 Beans 

 Vetches - 

 Potatoes - 



Bushels. 



4,401,400 

 20,805,100 

 14,347,000 

 68,239,600 

 10,233,300 



1,133,800 



233,750 

 650,400 

 37,331,500 



Average. 

 1888-1897. 



Bushels. 

 4,078,000 

 21,387,300 

 13,862,200 

 60,638,600 

 8,397,400 

 1,453,600 

 201,000 

 698,800 

 52,769,500 



K K 2 



