BRITISH AGRICULTURE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2069, 19 October 1893, Page 8

BRITISH AGRICULTURE.

(Fbom Oub English Agbicultukal Coebe-

SPONDENT.) London, September 9. Except in the latest districts of the kingdom, the harvest is now finished. It The has been one of the most brilHanest. lianb ever known, and bhere

never was a year iv which there was less loss from rain, web, blight, mildew, or insects. The crops are extremely small in the greater part of England, bub they have been secured in perfect condition. In the northern counties of England and parts of the Midlands and other districts, as well as in Scotland and Ireland generally, the crops are well up to the mark on the whole, and some of them are much above average. In Scotland the turnip crop is described as the best ever known, and it is almost as good in Ireland ; while the potato crop is one of the best and soundest ever produced in all except a few of the southern counties of England, while it is a record crop in Ireland and a very fine one in Scotland. The greatest misfortune, as far as the kingdom as a whole is concerned, is the extreme shortness of the hay crop ; even in Ireland, where a passable crop was gathered, it is below average on the whole ; and iv most parts of England it is the worst crop of the kind ever known. There ware hopes at one time of a good second growth, but bhe recent dry weather has disappointed them to a great extent. Roots, however, have improved greatly, turnips especially, even in the worst parts of England, so that the prospect of keep for the winter is much better than ib was ab one time. Harvest began unusually early, and will be completed, if the weather holds fine a little longer, quite a month sooner than usual, even in the hill districts of Scotland. Hop-picking is more than half finished, and the results considerably exceed early expectations. One good authority now estimates the average yield on aboub 57,000 acres at a little over 7cwb per acre, or only one-third of a hundredweight less than last year's crop.

The I'rcliminnry Agricultural Kctunis. The following summary of the agricultural returns of Great Britain for 1893 has been issued by the Board of Agriculture :—: —

Acreage of Land in Gt. B ritaiu v mder Year. LSOI 1892 :.Si»3 Wheat. I Acres. 2,307,277 2,219,838 1,897,488 I Barley. I Acres. 2,112,793 2,03(i,81() 2,070,097 I I Oats. 1 Acres. 2,8!)!), 12!) 2,997,515 .3,171,75(3 I Potato! Acres. 532,791 525,3b'] 527.521 Hops. Acres 5(5,142 56,259 57,57(5 1893 / I'inp'r'dJ with ) ISO 2 I [332,350 or 145 p.c. 39,287 or 1-9 pc. 174,211 or 5-S p.c. or 0 It v.c. "1,317 or 2 lip.c 1893 ( i'mp'r'dj with ) IS9I I M 09.789 or 178 p.c. (30,701 or 17 P.c. * 272,627 or il) 4 p.c. |4,!)73 or 0.9 p.c. '1,434 or 2-(sp.c

' Increase, t Decre«be.