The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-01-08

This country IL the greatest Of grain ncr-
chants, and II Is well. with the opening Of the
new year. to take an account Of stock Let
us sum up the results OF the harvcsts II 1877
both in our own land ana IN European States.
A regards France. the grain crop Of the
Year shows an average return in point Of
quantity, but decline is remarked In
weight and quality as compared with the
yield of 1876 In the case Of wheat, for in
stance the deficiency ia rockoned at from five
tn seven per cent, and there il no doubt that
France will IT, obliged to supplement her
native resources, ~ some extent, by inn
portations OF this staple.
Great Britain is less fortunate than
France In England the yield Of wheat,
barley and oats is considerably below
the average. The results are eimlar in
Scotland and Ireland, and u further source
of loss 10 the latter country IL the fact
that potatoes suffered greatly, owing TO
tho prevailing humidity Of the atmosphere
As regards Italy, very different returns are
offered by different localities. Throughout
the Southern provinces, formerly comprised
in the kingdom Of Naples, the crops seem
TO have been excellent in respect of quality,
although the quantity fell somewhat short
Of the expectations OF the spring. In
Tuscany and the country of Ancuna, and
throughout the old States OF the Church,
the amount Of grain harvested Is thirty per
cent. below the yield Of average years
With one or two exceptions the reports
from the countries which make up the Ger
man Empire are decidedly unfavurabc In
the Rhine province wheat exhibits "a gain Of
ten per cent over the normal quantity but
elsewhere in Prussia every species Of grain
shows decline OF FROM six to seventeen per
cent. We find nearly equivalent results in
Baden and Wurtemberg, hut IN Saxony the
crop Of wheat is equal 10 the average and
In parts OF Bavaria IL rose some seventeen
per cent above the normal level In the
latter country, moreover the volume Of bar
ley harvested 10 at least quarter larger
than the usual return. Ia the German prov
inccs of Austria the amount OF wheat is
between two and three million quintals In
excess Of the products Of ordinary years.
In Hungary the amount of wheat garncrcd
is extremely satisfactory Az Il rule this
country is able Ia export from three To four
million quintals hut the products of 1877 will
more than double that surplus. We may add
tilil III pln'i I'Sl'tlr, Ane piSl year nus tlttn
a profitable one To the Hungarian agricul-
turist, nearly all sorts OF grain giving re-
turns far above the average. We come now
Ia Russia, the great rival OF the United
states, as purveyor Of gram and here we
find a marked variance Of results according
to localities. In the plains Of the Vistula
and generally within the limits Of Russian
Poland, the yield Of wheat shows decline Of
from ten to fifteen per cent below ordinary
years. Throughout central and southern
Russia, on the other hand, the wheat crop
l. excellent, and presents over the returns OF
1876 an excess of twenty-five per cent. A
marked falling on, however, is observed in
the yield Of barley and oats.
such Is the record Of 1877 for most Of the
gran-producing countries of Europe. In
the United States the harvests Of the year
are on the whole eminently satisfactory.
Thus our yield of wheat, which in 1876 was
Csc p00o0 bushels, rose last season to
325o0p0Oo. The quantity Of corn is comput-
ed at l,3Oo,O0OeO0 bushels, representing a
gain Of about 400OO,0OO bushels. In view OF
all the facts here stated, there Is no doubt
that the foreign demand for our productions
will exhibit a large increase during the
next five or six months. and that the exist
ing situation is peculiarly favorable to the
American agticulturist.