Statistics affecting British Agricultural Interests. 363 
It will thus be seen that, taking the whole area of Great 
Britain, 57’3 per cent, were under crops and grass, which 
divided the total acreage between them very nearly in the 
proportion of 39 to 55. 
The year’s changes in Great Britain include, as stated above, 
a total loss of 32,000 acres under crops and grass, and it will be 
found on inspecting Table I. that this is the difference between 
a loss of 170,000 acres under crops and a gain of 138,000 acres 
under grass. As, in addition to this, the area left in bare fallow 
amounted to nearly 54,000 acres more than in 1907, the total 
loss of area under crops and grass is really about 86,000 acres. 
The area under Wheat in Great Britain in the year 1908 was 
1,664,860 acres, or within 200 acres of the amount in the 
previous year. It is satisfactory to note that the shrinkage 
reported in last year’s returns has not been continued, but the 
variations in the county areas have been very considerable. 
These variations, moreover, differ very much in the same parts 
of the country, but on the whole there is a slight decrease in 
the north and east, balanced by an increase in the south and 
west. 
It will be remembered that the decrease in acreage in the 
year 1907 was attributed in last year’s Report to the weather, 
and hopes were expressed that this might be remedied. The 
variable weather last year, however, has disappointed these 
hopes, although it is some comfort that the wheat acreage has 
not further declined. 
The area under Barley in 1908 was 1,667,437 acres in Great 
Britain, showing a decrease of about 45,000 acres on the 
previous year, which gave a record for the small area of this 
crop. The decrease was very generally distributed, being 
slightly more pronounced in the south. 
There was a decrease in Great Britain of 13,980 acres of 
Oats, which now occupy an area of 3,108,918 acres. The 
decrease was made up of losses of 8,872 acres in England, 
2,313 in Wales, and 2,795 in Scotland. In the rest of the 
United Kingdom, namely, Ireland, the Isle of Man, and the 
Channel Islands, there was a further loss of 15,183 acres, the 
vast bulk of which must have been in Ireland. 
The increase of 20,839 acres in Beans, noted in last year’s 
Report, was unfortunately not maintained in 1908 ; there 
being on the contrary a loss of 14,707 acres in Great Britain, of 
which 12,525 were in England, 490 in Wales, and 1,691 in 
Scotland. The total area of Beans in Great Britain is now 
295,024 acres. Peas also showed a diminution of area last year 
of 2,397 acres, as against an increase of 12,157 in the previous 
year. They now occupy an area of 163,739 acres in Great 
Britain, of which 162,023 are in England. In the rest of 
