Reports on Foreign Crops. 



107 



R) r e was much less vigorous, and in many districts, owing 

 to the cold, dry weather, was distinctly poor. Barley on the 

 whole may be considered satisfactory, though it had suffered 

 here and there from grubs, weeds, and frosts, and was not in 

 such good condition as it had been a month earlier ; while 

 maize was not promising and stood in urgent need of rain 

 and milder weather. March frosts and insects had worked 

 such havoc among the rape seed that it had in man}^ places 

 to be ploughed up : the prospects for the harvest were 

 consequently poor. Beet, which had at one time been 

 injured by insects, was improving rapidly. 



Later reports indicate that the condition of wheat and rye 

 was somewhat less satisfactory at the end of May. An 

 average harvest only of winter wheat was expected, although 

 a little better than last year : an out-turn" of about 17,300,000 

 qrs., or 17 to 18 bushels per acre, was looked for. Rye might 

 still improve with better weather. Barley had been damaged 

 by rain, and not more than an average yield was expected ; 

 the same applies to oats. 



Crops in France. 



An official report on the condition of the French crops on 

 the 10th May, 1899, was published in the Journal Officiel at 

 the end of that month. 



The appearance of winter wheat was stated to be " very 

 good" in 16 departments, "good" in 63, "fairly good" in 6, 

 and "passable" in the remaining 1 department. The 

 area sown was of the same extent as in 1898 in 48 depart- 

 ments, in 21 it was larger, and in 17 smaller, than last year's 

 acreage. Spring wheat had been sown in 46 departments 

 only, and in a reduced area in 10 of them. The condition 

 was reported "'very good" in 5 cases, " good " in 36, and 

 "fairly good" in the remaining 5 departments. 



The potato fields were not in a satisfactory state in 4 of 

 the 46 departments where the plants were "up," but the 

 acreage was, on the other hand, considerably greater than in 

 1897-8. 



The official report as a whole was good, and a further 

 improvement has since taken place. 



