Agricultural Returns in Great Britian.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 178, 13 November 1886, Page 7

Agricultural Returns in Great Britian.

Tke agricultural returns of Great Britain for the present year have just been published* and fin abstract of them, prinied hi Bradet reefs, odors an opportunity for some intere^tiug comparisons. It appears that thoacreage of land under wheat has fallea off very materially, being now 2.256.064 as corap.ued with 2,478,318 in ISSS and 2 677 038 in ISS4. There has also been a slight decrease in the acreage ot barley and of hop*. In oat- and potatoes there hai been an increase, though not large enough to offsot the falling 'off in the other crops. The decrease in wheat acreage represents ono stage in a change which has been pietty steadily in progress for more than a dozen years. The maximum, which waa reached in 1569, was 3,688.857 acres ; in 1574 it was 3, 860, 300 acres ; it islessnowthan two thirds of the latter amount. The area under barley h«s varied but little for twenty years. The present area of the oat crop is the largest on record. In live stock there haß been an increaso in cattle, but a falling off in sheep, lamb? and pigs. Tho number of cat-tie is tho largest yet recorded, 6.646,785, an increase of 45.821 as compared with 1885, and again of nearly 2,000,000 sijice 1886. Sheep and lambs? number but 25,521,334 as compared with 30,711,396 ia IS6B. Pigs have decreased very considerably, the number this year being 182,000 leas than lasfc year. All these figures relate to Great Britain only, aa the Irish returns are not yet out. .Estimating the wheat yield at 25 bushels per acre, and making allowance for the *rmill whe.it ocerage in Ireland, the total wheat crop will bo about 7,000,000 quarters, which will make it necessary to import, after allowing for seed, between 19,000 000 and 20,000,000 quarters to supply the ordinary year's consumption. — " Boston Journal."