Crops of the United Kingdom. 
313 
Hay . — The Hay crop would appear to have been the least satisfactory of 
the year, both categories being below the average, although the yield from 
clover and rotation grasses was only very slightly deficient. This deficiency 
was less in England than in Scotland, while in Wales there was an excess of 
nearly ^ cwt. The results varied much in the different counties : the north of 
England suffered severely from the dry weather, and Cumberland had lOf cwt. 
below the average, while- Northumberland and Westmorland had deficiencies 
of nearly 8 and over 5 cwt. respectively. The best results were secured in the 
south midland counties, particularly Bedford and Oxford. Results were also 
variable in Scotland : Bute, Caithness, Inverness, and Kinross exceeding 
the average by 4 cwt. or more ; and Dumbarton, Dumfries, Edinburgh, and 
Shetland falling short by as much. Hay from permanent grass was also 
below the average ; the deficiency in England reaching nearly 2 cwt. per acre. 
Only in the south was the yield above the average (Bedford and Middlesex 
being prominent), while the conditions grew worse as the extreme north was 
approached, even those counties which secured an average from the seeds 
having large deficiencies from their meadows. Northumberland showed the 
worst results (lOf cwt. below the average), Cumberland and Durham were 
8 and 7 cwt. below the mean, while Westmorland, Yorkshire, and Nottingham 
were all from 4 to 6^ cwt. below. In Scotland, where, however, little per- 
manent grass is cut for hay, very variable conditions prevailed, even contiguous 
counties showing quite divergent results. Taking both classes of hay together, 
the total yield of 1905 is estimated at 8,231,360 tons, as compared with 
9,372,759 tons in 1904. This aggregate, however, compares less unfavourably 
with the average production of the ten years 1895-1904, which was 8,631,670 
tons. 
Hops .— The average yield of Hops exceeded 14 cwt. per acre. This is the 
largest on record, and almost 1J cwt. above the high estimate of 1899, and 
64 per cent, over a ten years’ average. The sharp fluctuations of this. crop are 
well illustrated by the estimate for 1905 exceeding by 140 per cent, the 
abnormally low yield of 1904. The total production, moreover, has only been 
once surpassed, viz., in 1886, when as many as 70,000 acres were under the 
crop. The yield of 1905 was highest (almost 16 cwt. per acre) in the Weald 
of Kent, while Hants also had over 15 cwt. 
Crops op the United Kingdom. 
Adding the total production of the principal crops in Ireland to those in 
Great Britain, the following Table shows the quantities harvested in the last 
three years in the United Kingdom. No estimates of production are furnished 
for the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands. 
Crops 
1903 
1904 
1905 
Qrs. 
Qrs. 
Qrs. 
Wheat ..... 
6,102,000 
4,740,000 
7,542.000 
Barley . . . . . 
8,164.000 
7,807,000 
8,125,000 
Oats ..... 
21,618,000 
22,094,000 
20,786,000 
T 
Tons 
Tons 
Tons 
Potatoes. .... 
5,277,000 
6,230,000 
7,186,000 
Turnips ..... 
23,523,000 
28,033,000 
26,563,000 
Mangels. .... 
8,212,000 
8,813,000 
9,493,000 
Hay (all sorts) 
14,955,000 
14,860,000 
13,554,000 
Acreage under Principal Crops and Grass in 1906. 
Wheat . — The area under wheat in Great Britain in 1906 was 1,755,696 
acres, being 41,299 acres, or rather more than 2 per cent., less than in 1905, 
in which year it will be remembered there was a notable increase of over 
