io5 



Reports on Foreign Crops. 



Austria during the past year. The figures together with 

 those for 1897 are given in the following table : 



Crops. 



Area. 



Yield. 



.1898. 



1897. 



1898. 



1897. 



Wheat 

 Rye - 

 Barley 

 Oats- 

 Maize 



Acres. 

 2,608,200 

 4,511,700 

 2,884,800 

 4,695,900 



836,700 



Acres. 

 2,614,000 

 4,541,600 

 2,898,000 

 4,722,100 



829,400 



Bushels. 

 45,893,000 

 79,097,200 

 58,187,200 

 1 10,660,200 

 15,475,800 



Bushels. 

 34,750,600 

 63,792,800 

 48,218,300 

 93,192,400 

 14,316,900 



The area of land cultivated for agricultural purposes is 

 returned at 26,273,000 acres, of which 15,537,300 acres, or 

 about 59 per cent., are occupied by the five cereal crops 

 enumerated above. The area devoted to these crops, which 

 has been declining for some years ; shows a further decline 

 of 67,800 acres. With regard to the production, the out- 

 turn, as will be seen, was in eacn case considerably above 

 that of 1897, which, however, was below the average or the 

 previous ten years. The yield of 1898, on the other hand 

 exceeded the average except in the case of maize, which 

 was about normal. The aggregate cereal yield was about 

 3°°>3 1 3>400 bushels, as compared with 254,271,000 bushels in 

 1897. 



Crops in Hungary. 



Reports from official sources, received through the 

 Foreign Office, indicate that the weather in Hungary had 

 varied considerably in different parts of the kingdom. 

 Where rain had been plentiful (chiefly in the east and west) 

 the crops were vigorous, but in the districts where drought 

 had prevailed their poor and backward condition gave cause 

 for anxiety. In places frost had damaged vines, and in 

 some instances fruit trees and grain. The winter had gene- 

 rally been dry. 



Wheat, at the end of April, was on the whole satisfactory, 

 and in some districts gave promise of unusual excellence. 



