The city of Saaz, with its 1,606 acres, will have 555,520 pounds; the district of Saaz, with 11,700 acres, 7,392,000 pounds; and the county of Saaz, with 12,500 acres, 7,638,400 pounds. Therefore, the entire Saaz region will have 15,585,920 pounds. Auscha has 9,240,000 pounds; Dauba, 3,080,000 pounds. Bohemia altogether has 27,905,920 pounds.

Fine hops may be expected in the Kingdom of Wurttemberg; the Tettnang district, where early hops are grown, has already sold a good deal at the comparatively good price of $26.18 to $28.68 per English cwt. (112 pounds).

In Baden, too, the early hops are eagerly bought at $23.80 to $26.18 per cwt. The product has a beautiful color and is rich in quality.

In Alsace, general hop picking will begin now. It is estimated that an acre will yield 8 to 11 cwts. (892 to 1,232 pounds), compared with 6 to 8 cwts. (672 to 892 pounds) last year.

The province of Posen, which had such a bad crop last year, yielding only 392,000 to 504,600 pounds, is expected this year to produce 3,024,000 pounds.

The Altmark, which produces light and inferior hops, will yield a comparatively large quantity this year, namely, 3,000,000 pounds. Belgium, which had an exceptionally bad crop last year, expects this year a quantity three to four times larger; 7,952,000 pounds are predicted in the Alost region, and 4,592,000 pounds in the Poperingh region.

In England, hops have suffered much lately from the heat, and the estimates are therefore reduced from 10 cwts. to 9 cwts. (1,120 pounds to 1,008 pounds).

In Russia, Poland is estimated to yield 1,344,000 pounds; Wolhynia, 3,808,000 pounds; the Gusslizian region, 1,232,000 pounds; and the Weichsel region, 739,200 pounds.

France will yield about 4,704,000 pounds. Of the hop crop of the United States, only vague estimates can be given. The figures sent over vary from 45,000,000 to 67,000,000 pounds. More correct estimates would be of value, as the American crop will undoubtedly influence European prices. On the whole, a rich crop and therefore low prices may be expected this year.

The estimates of the world's hop crop on August 31, 1899, are therefore as follows:

RUSSIA'S HOP INDUSTRY IN 1898.

Owing to cold weather during April and May in central and the drought in western Russia and the May bug, the yield of hops during 1898 is only 35 per cent of the average crop during the past ten years, which has caused an extraordinary increase in the price, now ranging from $15 to $17 per pood (36 pounds). This advance caused the old as well as the new stock to be put on the market. The commission men, having the first information as to the failure of the new crops, purchased the old stock at prices ranging between $7.50 to $10 per pood.

The scarcity of hops destroyed the interest in the Warsaw hop fair, there being no exhibits from the best producers. The total exhibit was but 39 tons, against 234 tons in 1897.

Official reports show the amount raised in each government to have been:

This does not include the lower grades raised in northern Russia. The loss in 1898 is estimated at $309,000. There are 375 large breweries in Russia, producing 108, 279, 186 gallons of beer per year, which require from 3,000 to 4,000 tons of hops. The average crop yields between 4,000 and 4,500 tons, the excess being exported.

Russian hop growers have been improving the quality of their product for some years, and it is now proposed to stimulate the same by doing away with the middlemen, and a syndicate of Russian. brewers has been organized to establish brewing schools in the hop-growing regions, in order to improve the quality of their beer and enable brewers to compete more successfully with the German product.

The Warsaw hop growers organized a syndicate two years since to deal directly with brewers, and have established satisfactory relations with large foreign consumers. The Government is encouraging similar organizations in other hop regions, for the mutual benefit of growers and brewers.

The Russian Government has published the following table to show the decrease in the production of hops in the leading hopgrowing countries of the world:

The Russians argue that western Europe has acquired its full development; that England and Germany are limited in extent of land; and that the United States can not compete with Russia in hop growing, owing to a lack of cheap labor. Hence, there is scarcely any prospect of increased competition in the hop industry from abroad, and Russia has a surplus of both land and cheap labor, and should be able to supply the market of western Europe.

St. Petersburg, September 19, 1899.

W. R. HOLLOWAY,

Consul-General.

EXPORT OF MALT 'FROM HAMBURG.

In 1897, the export of malt from Hamburg exceeded that of the preceding year by almost 333 per cent. It is notable that the decrease of 27,000 double centners (2,700 tons) in the year 1898 is nearly equal to the decrease of import of the article into Brazil, which may be due to the present financial troubles of that country. No. 231-8.

The export of malt from Hamburg has, during the last six years, increased steadily, as follows:

The average export by way of the ocean has decreased in price from 30 marks ($7.14) per double centner (220.46 pounds) in 1897 to 29 marks ($6.90) per double centner in 1898.

The export of malt from Germany has developed steadily, in spite of the continual growth of the brewing industry in the different states of Central and South America, as well as in Asia, where East India and Japan especially have made wonderful progress in the art of brewing by the adoption of the newest models of refrigerating machines. Most of the malt in the market in Hamburg is exported by way of the ocean.

The decrease in the export of beer and the increase in the export of malt appear to be concomitant..

The greatest market for Hamburg's malt for the last decade has been Brazil, and it has not this year been exceeded by that to any other country, although the decrease of the export has been about. 25,000 double centners (2,500 tons). A great increase in the export of malt to Japan has been noticeable during the past year. There are also great quantities exported to Cape Colony, Venezuela, the Philippines, and Cuba.

There has been some export to the Azores, Chile, Russian Asia, Ecuador, Madeira, Bolivia, and Peru.

The formerly flourishing export to Uruguay has been fluctuating. The total export in 1898 reached 144,500 double centners (14,450 tons), against 170,600 double centners (17,060 tons) in 1897. Leaving Brazil out of the question, there has been no decrease in export of malt from Hamburg during the past year.

The export to Europe has remained about the same for 1898 as well as for 1897, being in the neighborhood of 97,000 double centners (9,700 tons). The export of malt to the Netherlands has increased. The export of malt from the Rhine provinces by way of the ocean, as well as the export via the Baltic ports to Russia, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, has increased. The export to Great Britain has decreased, while the export to France and Spain is of very little moment.

The export from Hamburg inland mainly supplies the brewing industry of the neighboring districts. The import of malt to Hamburg is mostly by way of the Elbe from inland districts. There was comparatively very little malt imported into Hamburg from foreign ports in the past year; in fact, only 2,212 double centners (221 tons), of which the greater part-namely, 1,032 double centners (103 tons)—came from the Netherlands, while very little came from Denmark and Great Britain.

The import from the interior came particularly from AustriaHungary, which is the most important country exporting malt to Hamburg. The small difference between the import of malt and the export of malt in Hamburg causes the brewers of both Hamburg and Altona to keep their own supplies.

For quite a time, there have existed in Hamburg extensive malt. stock companies. However, most of the breweries in the neighborhood of Hamburg buy their malt direct from the producers, such as farmers, etc.

HAMBURG, September 16, 1899.

HUGH PITCAIRN,

Consul.

AMERICAN APPLES IN GERMANY.

The first shipment of American apples for Germany reached Bremen this month. The export season for apples has therefore begun several weeks earlier than was the case last year, and under very favorable conditions, generally speaking, as a rich harvest has been reported from every part of our country where apples are grown, whereas the apple harvest in Europe is below the average. A good result from this year's export of apples to Europe is, however, by no means certain, owing to the keen competition of the Canadian products. Not only in the United States, but in Canada and Nova Scotia, this year's apple harvest leaves a large surplus for export, and this of excellent quality. Moreover, as the Canadian producers exercise greater care in the sorting and packing of the fruit than is the case with us, and as the cost of production is less, while the freight to Europe from Canadian ports is from 10 to 12 cents lower per barrel than from American ports, the Canadian exporters find themselves more advantageously situated than our own.

The total export of apples from American ports to Europe for the season of 1898-99 was 1,221,087 barrels; in the season 1897–98 it was only 913,996 barrels; whereas in 1896-97 it amounted to 2,919,876 barrels the highest export figures ever reached. From the pres

ent harvest returns, one may count upon about the same amount of export as in 1896-97.