Page:The Economic Journal Volume 1.djvu/842

 820 THE ECONOMIC JOURNAL the results of the first edict have been quite different from those intended to be produced by it. It naturally set the Germaais, at. present Russia's best customers for rye, to look around for substitutes, and they are said to have betaken themselves--it may be perma- nently to maize instead. Then it set greedy native speculators, in expectation of an enormous price in consequence of the prohibition, to hurry out of the country large stocks of rye during the few days' grace allowed them before the edict was put in force. Tens of thousands of bushels of this rye are said, through their haste and carelessness, to have rotted away at the frontier, and great part of the rest to be now coming back to Russia again, because, from the foreign market being largely supplied otherwise, a better price is found for it at home. Equally ill effects have attended a similar edict of September 26th, forbidding the sale and transmission of corn froin one province in Russia to another. The peasants, in want of some ready money, have had to sell their corn clandestinely to speculators at a serious reduction of price ih consequence of the risk incurred from the illicit nature of the transaction; and the general interference with the natural flow of goods to the places where they are most wanted, has already, it appears, considerably aggravated the distress it was meant to relieve. IECENT OFFICIAL REPORTS AND RETURNS Agricultural Returns, Uzited Kbzgdom. 1891: Statemet of Particulars for the THIS is a return issued by the Board of Agriculture, in advance of the Volume of Agricultural Statistics, giving the particulars annually furnished respecting the entire acreage under crops and grass, and the nmnber of live stock in each division of the 4th of June last. According to this return the total acreage United Kingdom on the under all corn crops was 9,443,509 acres against 9,574,249 acres last year. Under green crops the extent was 4,510,653 acres in 1891, and 4,534,145 acres in 1890. The total number of horses on the 4th June last was 2,026,170 against 1,964,911 in 1890; of cattle 11,343,686 against 10,789,858; of sheep 33,533,988 against 31,667,195; and of pigs 4,272,764 against 4,362,040 in 1890. Agricultural Statistics of Ireland for the Year 1890 (C--6518). THIS is the annual report, accompanied by detailed tables, upon agriculture in Ireland which is prepared by the Registrar-General. It states that the area under crops in 1890 compared with 1889 shows a net decrease of 136,290 acres there being a decrease of 42,4051 acres in tillagg, of 55,464 acres under hay on permanent pasture or grass.