The neutral countries of Europe produced rye and barley in important quantities, this crop being suited to their severe climate and soil conditions. To meet their consumption needs, however, a net import of 34,000,000 bushels of rye was required and 18,000,000 bushels of barley.

Among the western allies, rye was of little importance as a food product, except in France, whose production of 48,000,000 bushels supplied her needs within 3,000,000 bushels. Very little rye was imported into England and Italy. Barley, on the other hand, was of considerable importance. The United Kingdom grew more barley than wheat and imported in addition 52,000,000 bushels. The net imports of barley into the United Kingdom, France and Italy amounted to 58,000,000 bushels. The neutral countries of Europe and the western allies, therefore, before the war required in addition to their production of rye and barley an importation of 116,000,000 bushels of these two grains. The supply of the 40,000,000 bushels of rye in this deficit was obtained largely from Russia and Germany -sources that are not now available. The 76,000,000 bushels of barley imports had a wider source. In addition to Russia and Roumania, which supplied 60 per cent of the barley exports before the war, barley exports from India, Algeria and Tunis, the United States and Canada, were of some importance. With the restrictions of the use of barley and rye for liquors, and the increased use of flour from these grains for bread, the barley and rye crops have assumed an increased importance as a food during the war.

The estimates of rye and barley crops for 1917 in Europe are favorable. The United States estimates place barley production 17,000,000 bushels above the 1911-1913 average, while an estimated rye production of 56,000,000 bushels makes the production of this grain 19,000,000 bushels above the average. Nevertheless, the shutting off of Russian and central European rye and barley from the neutral and western allies adds a very serious burden to the problem of supplying Europe with grain this year. Based upon the consumption of grains before the war, the neutral nations and western allies face a shortage of at least 640,000,000 bushels of wheat, rye and barley. If we should add to this the needs in corn, oats and other grains, the cereal deficiency will mount up into figures well over 1,000,000,000 bushels. The staggering burden of meeting this deficiency is placed upon the cereal surplus countries of the Americas, Asia and Australia.

Rice. Estimates of the world production of rice are less reliable than for the other grain crops for the reason that China, probably the largest producer, furnishes no data for any accurate estiMonthly Crop Report, September, 1917.

mate. The estimate of 2,200,000,000 bushels of cleaned rice for 1910 for all countries except China, is based upon the data given in recent Year Books of the Department of Agriculture and Statistical Notes of the International Institute of Agriculture. The production of three of the eighteen provinces of China is given in 1910 at nearly 800,000,000 bushels. The importance of rice as a food is even greater than its quantity of production would indicate. Judged by food value, rice far exceeds its nearest competitor. A sixty pound bushel of wheat has three-fourths of the food value of a sixty pound bushel of cleaned rice. Even more than wheat, rice is consumed in the countries where it is grown. As shown in Table V, of the 200,000,000 bushels that enter international trade, the largest proportion is a transference of rice from one tropic country to another or to the rice producing countries of China and Japan.

7 Statistical Notes on the Production, Imports and Exports, Prices and Maritime Freights of Cereals. Rome: International Institute of Agriculture. Published twice yearly.

Only a small proportion of the rice surplus normally goes to European countries-not much over one-third.

Of the western countries Italy and the United States are the only countries in which the growing of rice has become an important industry. From 1911-1913 the average production in the United States was 12,000,000 bushels of cleaned rice, as compared to 11,000,000 bushels for Italy. The possibilities of future extension in the United States of this, the most important of all food crops, are almost unlimited. Since its production requires much outlay of time and capital in equipping for irrigation, it cannot be depended upon to a large extent as an emergency crop for meeting shortages in other grains during the war. The 1917 estimate of rice production in the United States, however, is given at 32,200,000 bushels."

Beans. A food crop of great importance in the far east, beans are of relatively small importance in the west, when compared with the grains. Of the countries for which we have statistics, India, with 125,000,000 bushels, is the most important; Italy, with 23,000,000 bushels; Japan, with 21,000,000 bushels; Austria-Hungary, with 19,000,000 bushels; Russia, with 12,000,000; Spain and the United States, each with 11,500,000 were the most important producers before the war. The introduction of the soy bean from China and Japan into the western world met the need of a seed-crop of large yielding possibilities. Since the soy bean, because of its large content of oil and proteids, can be a substitute for meat, this crop is becoming an increasingly important one. The production of beans this year in the United States and especially of the soy bean in the southern states, will be far in excess of any previous year, and should be an important addition to our food supply.

Potatoes. The potato crop of the world, measured by its bulk, is one of the most important of our food crops. Nearly 68 per cent of this enormous crop is produced in Germany, Russia and Austria-Hungary. Very little, however, enters international trade. The crop is consumed at home. Only 75,000,000 bushels out of the 5,313,000,000 total entered foreign trade and this for the most. part was across the frontiers of Germany. A very large part of the potato crop is used for industrial purposes. This, combined with the low food value of a bushel of potatoes as compared to a bushel of grain, puts the food value of the potato crop lower than 9 Monthly Crop Report, September, 1917.