The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-11-10
The Wheat Crop Of 1892 in England.

Under any circumstances England Is a
great consumer Of American wheat. but 1t
is n matter Of great moment to our pro-
ducers to learn hctimes what fraction OK
the amount which shc demands her own
wheat fields can supply. We find some in
structive data relating to the subject in n
recent issue of the London Times.
The estimate OF this years wheat crop in
tho United Kingdom is based upon the
quantity Of grain harvested on some en-
pcrimcnta plots nj Rothamsted. Here for
many years experiments in wheat culture
have been carried Oh under such various
conditions with respect to tho kind and
quantity OF manure employed that the re-
suits are held to be fairly indicative OF the
crops OF tho whole country. The mctcoro-
logical conditions. also. at Rothamsted
during the last siE months have been
substantially identical with those which
have prevailed throughout the United
Kingdom. The season is summed up as
having been orc of very great iluctua;ion
both of rainfall and of temperature. Up to
the middle of June. however. there was n
prospect of q fair crop OF wheat: but the
Grosts which occurred about the middle OF
that month did great damage. The result
was blight and mildew over large areas.
and it should be added that the harvest
weather has been generally uneavorable
throughout the United Kingdom.
1t is estimated that tho average yield OF
the wheat fields under such circumstances
has been 25Ts bushels per acre. AS there are
2.295lsS acres under the crop in the United
Kingdom. the aggregate home produce will
be less than 6O.oOO,O 900 bushels. Deductins
from this total two bushels per acre for seed.
the home produce available for consump-
tion would be considerably less than 56.OO0.-
600 bushels. Now. the estimated poru-
lation Of the United Kingdom ut the middle
Of the current harvest year IS nearly 3Si,
millions aud the consumption OF wheat per
head is bushels: the total requirement of
the grain for consumption would be, there
fore. nearly 23OOOOOOO bushels. Deduct
ing from this the amount assumed to
be attainabe from the home crop. there
would remain about 175.OOOOoO bushels
which must be provided from stocks
carried over from last year or from i'm
ports. Thus We see that even on the above
estimate of nearly twenty-six bushels per
ncre--an estimate admitted by the London
Times to be too favorable--the wheat crop
Of the United Kingdom during the present
year will supply considerably less than
onc-.ourth Of tine total amount needed for
consumption. On what is probably
a safer hypothesis. namely. that the
average yield Of wheat in Great Britain
will not exceed twenty-five bushels per
acre. it is obvious that the quantity OF home
produce available for consumption will rep
resent only onc-ffth of tho total require
ment. 1t is understood. however. that at
the end Of the last harvest year the stocks
of imported wheat in England were un,isu-
ally large. while those of tho home crop OF
1921 were also considerable.
II is we'll known that tho amount OF acre
age under tillage in the United Kingdom
has for some time been decreasing. Few
persons are aware. however, to what extent
land in Great Britain is being withdrawn
from the plough and used for planting Young
forest trees. In England between 1883 and
1891 there has been an increase of $4,000
acres in the area under wood, and during
tho same period there has been IN addi-
ticn of 3! 900 acres to the woodland area OF
Scotland If this process goes on-and
there is nothing likely to arrest 1.-THE
England Of half a century hence will look
much more like the England Of ELIZA
DErH's time than the England Of twenty
years ago.