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AGRICULTURE

184

single crops of mangels are sometimes grown, amounting occasionally to 100 tons per acre, the general average yield of 17 tons is about 4 tous more than that of turnips and swedes. Again, although from the richest old permanent meadow lands very heavy crops of hay are taken season after season, the general average yield of permanent grass is about 3 cwt. of hay per acre less than that from clover, sainfoin, and grasses under rotation. The general average yields of the corn crops are not fairly comparable one with the other because they are given by

measure and not by weight, whereas the weight per bushel varies considerably. For purposes of comparison it would be much better if the yields of corn crops were estimated in cwt. per acre. This, indeed, is the practice in Ireland, and in order to incorporate the Irish figures with those for Great Britain so as to obtain average values for the United Kingdom, the Irish yields are calculated into bushels at the rate of 60 lb to the bushel of wheat, of beans, and of peas, 50 lb to the bushel of barley, and 39 lb to the bushel of oats.

Table IX.—Estimated Annual Average Yield per Acre of Crops in the United Kingdom, 1890-1900. i Hay. Year. Wheat. Barley. Oats. Beans. Peas. Potatoes. Turnips. ; Mangels. Rotation. Permanent. Bush. 32-77 29-82 22-38 19-61 2922-98 25-69 28-91 31-13 30-

Bush. 30-66 81-30 26-48 26-08 30-70 26-33 3329-07 3432-76

Bush. 3534-72 34-78 29-30 34-77 32-09 34-16 32-91 3634-64

Bush. 4140-46 3938-14 4238-67 373842-27 40-

Mean, 10 yrs. J 30-18

33-88

40-06 27-26

1890 1891 1892 1898 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899

Bush. 28-71 28-23 25-85 22-61 25-64 22-62 25-34 27-55 27-60 27-22

Cwt. Cwt. Tons. Tons. Tons. 30-81 33-19 5 17-2 314-27 2831181342329-10 8 1714420-41 23-55 1313-66 5331835- 3 13-53 31 25-21 29-08 1613-11 5-64 2427-95 9 1441263 30-71 32- 8 18-03 13334361274 517-2 75 2931-04 5 17-41 49-97 1

26-14 I

4-59

13-14

17-02

31-01

27-97

The figure denoting the general average yield per acre ! are embraced only unbroken horses and horses used solely of any class of crop needs readjusting after every suc- for agriculture (including mares kept for breeding).. The cessive harvest. If a decennial period be taken, then—for the purpose of the new calculation—the earliest year is Table XT.—Numbers of Horses, Cattle, Sheep, and Pigs in the United Kingdom. omitted and the latest year added, the number of years continuing at ten. Adopting this course in the case of the cereal crops of Great Britain the decennial averages recorded in Table X. are obtained, the period 1885-94

Table X.—Decennial Average Yields in Great Britain of Wheat, Barley, and Oats—Bushels per acre. Oats. 10-Year Periods. Wheat. Barley. 38-211894 33-02 29-32 1885highest and lowest annual totals for the United Kingdom 38-23 32-68 28-81 18861895 in the period 1875-1900 were the following :— 38-131896 32-82 29-49 1887Difference. 38-511897 32Highest. 9 29-19 188838-861898 332 2986 1889292,520 33-50 38-811899 2,112,207 in 1895 1,819,687 in 1875 Horses 15 301890Cattle 11,519,417 in 1892 9,731,537 in 1877 1,787,880 Sheep 33,642,808 in 1892 27,448,220 in 1882 6,194,588 being the earliest decade for which the official figures are 4,362,040 in 1890 2,863,488 in 1880 1,498,552 Pigs available. It thus appears that the average yield of wheat in Great Britain, as calculated upon the crops harvested The highest total in each case is in the ’nineties. Aftei during the ten years of the ’nineties (1890-99), exceeded the maximum year of 1892 cattle and sheep declined 30 bushels to the acre, whereas shortly before, as for the continuously for three years to the totals of 1895, the ten years ended 1895, it fell below 29 bushels. A large diminution being mainly the result of the memorable expansion in the acreage of the wheat crop would probably drought of 1893. Sheep, which numbered 32,571,018 be attended by a decline in the average yield per acre, for in 1878, declined continuously to 27,448,220 in 1882—when a crop is shrinking in area the tendency is to with- a loss of over five million head in five years. This was draw from it first the land least suited to its growth. The chiefly attributable to the ravages of the liver fluke which general average for the United Kingdom might then recede to rather less than 28 bushels of 60 lb per bushel, which over six 8-yearly periods from 1852 to 1899, and afford evidence that was for a long time the accepted average—unless, of course, the higher yield of the last sixteen years is due to the seasons :— Bushels (of 60 lb) Average of— improved methods of cultivating and manuring the soil per acre. 1 28f 8 years 1852-59 were to increase its general wheat-yielding capacity. 28| 8 ,, 1860-67 27g 8 ,, 1868-75 Live Stock. 251 8 „ 1876-83 29$ 8 ,, 1884-91 The numbers of live stock in the United Kingdom are 30 8 ,, 1892-99 shown at five-yearly intervals in Table XI. Under horses 27f 1852-83 30 1884-99 1 The higher yield of wheat in recent years appears to be largely 281 attributable to better grain-growing seasons. The yields in the experimental wheat-field at Rothamsted—where there is no change The average of the first thirty-two years is thus 27§ bushels per acre, either of land or of treatment—indicate this. The following figures of the last sixteen years 30 bushels, and of the whole forty-eight show the average yields per acre of the selected plots at Rothamsted years 281 bushels.