March 1896.] 



REPORTS ON FOREIGx\ CROPS, 



REPORTS ON FOREIGN CROPS. 



United States Harvest of 1895. 



The report of the Statisticia^i of the Department of Agricul- 

 ture of the United States for December, '1895, contains the 

 final estimate of the acreage and yield of the principal crops of 

 1895. 



The total area and production of the cereals, potatoes, and 

 hay are given below, the quantities being shown in Winchester- 

 bushels. 



Crop. 



Area. 



Production, 













1895. 



1894. 



1895. 



1894. 









Winchester 



Winchester 





Acres. 



Acres. 



Bushels. 



Busheis- 



Maize - - - 



82,075,8.30 



62,582,269 



2,151,139,000 



1,212,770,052 



Wheat - 



34,047,332 



34,882,436 



467,103,000 



460,267,416 



Oats - 



27,878,406 



27,023,553 



824,444,000 



662,036,928 



Rye - 



1,890,345 



1,944,780 



27,210,000 



26,727,635 



Barley - 



3,299,973 



3,170,602 



87,073,000 



61,400,465 



Buckwheat 



763,277 



789,232 



15,341,000 



12,668,200 



Potatoes 



2,954,952 



2,737,973 



297,237,000 



170,737,338 









Tons. 



Tons. 



Hay - 



44,206,453 



48,321,272 



47,078,541 



54,874,408 



The total area of wheat harvested shows a reduction of 

 835,000 acres as compared with last year, and is 2,766,700 acres 

 less than the average of the previous five years. The acreage 

 in 1895 shows a reduction of 4,500,000 acres as compared with 

 the area harvested in 1892, when a total of 38,554,000 acres, 

 was reached. The average yield, however, is higher than that 

 of recent years, being IS "7 bushels as compared with 13 '2 

 bushels in 1894, and 12-9 bushels during the five years 1890-94. 

 The average farm price is estimated at 2s. l^d. per bushel^, 

 or -^d. more than last year, but lower than in any year 

 prior to 1894. It may be noticed that wheat is the onl}^ crop 

 which has shown any tendency to rise, all the other crops, 

 referred to above having decreased in price in 1895 as compared 

 with 1894. 



The average yield of maize was 26 "2 bushels against 19 '4 in 

 1894. The average value per bushel, however, is stated to have 

 decreased from Is. lie?, per bushel to Is. l^d., which is the lowest 

 price on record, being 7|cZ. less than the average of the five 

 years 1890-94. 



