158 



REPORTS ON FOREmN CROPS. 



[Sept. 1895. 



Crops in France. 



The French Ministry of Agriculture issued, at the end of July 

 last, a report respecting the condition of the crops on the 15th of 

 that month. 



This periodical report is tabulated from the observations made 

 and supplied by the departmejital professors of agriculture, and 

 the following numerical scale is adopted to indicate briefly the 

 state of the crops: — 100 implies "very good"; 80, "good"; 

 60, " rather good " ; 50, " passable " ; 30, " indifferent " ; 20, 

 " bad." 



The following table gives the relative index numbers as 

 regards winter and spring wheat in the various " regions " or 

 groups of departments into which France is divided for agricul- 

 tural purposes : — 











Condition on 15th 



6 



July of 



Region. 









Winter 



Spring 





Wheat. 



Wheat. 



1. North-west ^ - - - - _ 



77 



80 



2. North - - - - ... 



79 



84 



3. North-east ------ 



87 



88 



4. West - - 



88 



85 



5, Central 



- 84 





6. East 



83 



88 



7. South-west ------ 



76 



57 



8. South 



74 



84 



9. South-east - - - - - 



73 



74 



10. Corsica - - - - - - • 



50 





The acreage under spring wheat in France was very small com- 

 pared with that under winter wheat. There are 80 departments 

 where no spring wheat was gi'own at all. 



The state of the rye, oats, and barley crops was considered 

 favourable, although their appearance in the early summer 

 promised a better result. 



The hay and forage crops were reported to be abundant, almost 

 without exception, throughout the country. 



The appearance of the potato c: op was reported to be " very 

 good" in 19 departments, "good " in 54, " rather good "in 11, 

 " passable " in 1, and " indifferent" in the remaining department. 



Crops in Germany. 



From the official reports of the German Imperial Statistical 

 Office, summarised in the Deutsche Landwirtschafts Zeitung of 

 27th July, it appears that the injurious influence of the drought 

 has been less felt by winter corn than by plants used for fodder. 



