Statistics  affecting  British  Agricultural  Interests.  399 
crop  of  1906,  which  was  followed  by  two  years  of  decreasing 
harvests.  The  produce  per  acre  in  England  was  33'61  bushels, 
an  increase  of  .2‘22  bushels  per  acre  over  the  average  of  the 
preceding  ten  years. 
Barley  also  showed  a great  increase  in  1909.  The  produce 
was  7,617,320  quarters,  giving  an  advance  of  777,265  quarters, 
or  over  11^  per  cent,  above  that  of  the  previous  year.  The 
increase  per  acre  was  3'79  bushels,  and  the  average 
yield  36’61. 
Oats,  on  the  other  hand,  showed,  in  England,  a decrease 
of  230,000  quarters,  or  just  over  2‘3  per  cent,  since  1908,  and 
of  1,703,000  quarters  since  1907.  This  was  due  to  decrease 
of  acreage,  the  production  last  year  averaging  36‘61  bushels  per 
acre,  as  against  32‘82  in  1908.  In  Scotland  there  was  at  the 
same  time  an  increase  of  production.  Beans  and  Peas  both 
showed  slight  improvements  of  about  one  per  cent. 
Last  year  we  recorded  a great  increase  in  the  produce  of 
Potatoes,  but  this  year  a diminution  has  to  be  noted,  amounting 
in  England  to  2'8  per  cent.  (74,250  tons).  The  total  for 
England  was  2,643,109  tons.  The  loss  in  Scotland  was 
167,613  tons,  or  all  but  16  per  cent.,  while  in  Wales  the 
decrease  was  under  one  per  cent. 
Turnips  and  Swedes  continued  to  increase  their  yield,  and 
last  year  this  increase  amounted  to  1,355,315  tons  in  Great 
Britain,  and  to  2,027,212  tons  in  England  alone.  In  Scotland 
there  was  a decrease  of  698,355  tons.  The  increase  in  England 
was  over  9 per  cent. 
Mangolds,  which  in  England  gave  9,316,314  tons,  also 
showed  a continued  increase,  which  last  year  was  559,667  tons, 
or  6‘4  per  cent.  This  increase  was  due  to  additional  acreage, 
as  the  yield  per  acre  was  a shade  under  that  of  the  previous 
year.  Scotland  and  Wales  only  produced  between  them  rather 
over  250,000  tons. 
The  produce  of  Hops  was  much  below  that  of  the  previous 
year,  having  fallen  from  470,761  cwts.  in  1908  to  214,484  cwts., 
or  by  54-5  per  cent.  The  acreage  had  decreased  from  38,921  to 
32,539,  or  by  over  16  per  cent.,  while  the  produce  per  acre  fell 
from  12T0  cwts.  to  6’59  cwts.  Kent  contains  six-tenths  of  the 
acreage  occupied  by  this  crop,  and  so  has  most  at  stake.  The 
total  yield  in  the  country  was  only  one  third  of  that  in  1905, 
and  was  less  than  any  in  the  preceding  ten  years  at  least.  Wfe 
must  remind  our  readers  that  we  only  refer  here  to  yields  of 
produce,  and  that  alterations  of  prices  jnay  have  compensated 
many  growers  for  the  short  yields. 
The  Hay  harvest  also  showed  a decrease  throughout  Great 
Britain.  In  England,  “ Hay  from  Permanent  Grass  ” yielded 
4,731,088  tons — less  by  687,968  tons,  or  12‘7  per  cent.,  than  the 
[Continued  on  page  406.] 
