358  The  Weather  of  the  Past  Agricultural  Year. 
[Continued  from  page  351.] 
Throughout  Great  Britain  the  yield  per  acre  was  above  the 
average  of  the  preceding  ten  years. 
With  Beans  there  was  last  year  a decrease  in  production  of 
about  3^  per  cent,  in  England,  where  the  vast  bulk  of  this  crop 
is  grown.  Peas,  which  are  practically  confined  to  England, 
diminished  in  produce  by  over  9 per  cent. 
The  produce  of  Potatoes  again  fell  off  in  England.  Last 
year  the  decrease  there  was  6'6  per  cent.,  but  the  yield  per 
acre  was  slightly  better  than  in  the  year  before  and  was  well 
above  the  average  of  the  preceding  ten  years.  In  Wales  there 
was  a large  decrease  both  in  the  total  and  in  the  yield  per  acre, 
and  in  Scotland  the  produce  per  acre  increased  while  the 
total  remained  about  the  same. 
Turnips  and  Swedes  gave  nearly  the  same  total  as  in  1909 
in  England  where,  however,  the  yield  per  acre  fell  about  two- 
thirds  per  cent.  In  Wales  and  Scotland  the  total  produce  and 
yield  per  acre  both  increased.  Throughout  Great  Britain  the  yield 
per  acre  was  well  above  the  average  of  the  preceding  ten  years. 
Mangolds  showed  a total  diminution  of  218,000  tons,  mostly 
in  England  where  the  vast  bulk  of  this  crop  is  grown.  The 
produce  per  acre  was,  however,  nearly  one  per  cent,  above  that 
of  the  previous  year  and  5|  per  cent,  above  the  average  of  the 
preceding  ten  years. 
The  produce  of  Hops  was  everywhere  much  greater,  both  in 
total  and  in  yield  per  acre,  than  in  the  previous  year.  In 
Hants,  Hereford,  and  Surrey  the  increase  per  acre  was  very 
great,  while  in  East  Kent  it  was  considerable.  Nowhere, 
however,  was  the  yield  up  to  that  of  previous  recent  years. 
Hay,  both  that  from  Clover,  Sainfoin,  &c.,  and  that  from 
Permanent  Grass,  showed  increases  both  in  totals  and  in  yield 
per  acre  throughout  Great  Britain,  except  in  the  case  of  yield 
per  acre  of  Hay  from  Permanent  Grass  in  Scotland  where  there 
was  a decrease.  In  England  the  yield  per  acre  of  the  first 
sort  of  Hay  was  6 per  cent,  above  the  average  of  the  preceding 
ten  years,  while  with  Hay  from  Permanent  Grass  it  was  5 per 
cent,  above  it. 
THE  WEATHER  OF  THE  PAST 
AGRICULTURAL  YEAR. 
The  farmer  appears  to  have  received  scanty  encouragement 
last  year  from  the  clerk  of  the  weather.  The  autumn  of  1909 
was,  in  the  first  instance,  cold,  and,  in  the  south  of  England, 
very  rainy,  so  that  the  agricultural  season  [started  none  too 
well.  The  winter,  which  was  marked  by  extreme  change- 
ability, was  followed,  it  is  true,  by  a more  favourable  spi'ing, 
the  weather  of  the  latter  season  assisting  very  materially  in 
