ACltJCUI/rUItAL ilKi'OltT. 119 



frequent white-hoar frosts in May, during the greatest daily solar heats, and 

 in several instances, ice was found in the mornings. The change in the 

 weather produced a general change of opinion respecting the harvest, which, 

 it was judged, must be early instead of late, accelerated by the heat which 

 favoured the ripening rather than the vegetative and increassing process. 

 The straw of the corn crops, it is generally supposed, will be short and 

 defective in bulk, and the ears short. Instead of a crop of grass and hay equal 

 to that of last year, which we fondly made sure of, we must now, it is said, 

 rest contented with somewhat more than half that quantity ; with, however, 

 the good fortune of favourable weather for succouring it, and most particu- 

 larly the early grass of water-meadows and of rich gramineous soils. The 

 corn on all poor and infertile soils, materially those liable to burn or scald, as 

 the phrase is, has suffered greatly, and felt severely the effects of the atmos- 

 pheric stroke ; and we do not recollect ever to have seen more burnt and 

 blacked ears than we beheld very lately, in looking over the wheats on a part 

 of the county of Surrey. We observed, however, no appearance of smut, 

 with which certainly we are far less annoyed than the farmers of former days, 

 although they were equally well acquainted with the curative process of 

 brining and liming, and practised it ; yet the gingerbread-bakers of those 

 times were seldom disappointed in a bargain of smutty wheat, which, con- 

 trary to our late and present experience, was often found to be of the heaviest 

 wheat at market. 



The latter sown spring corn, retarded by the drought, was scarcely visible 

 above ground, on the commencement of the present month, and the same 

 cause has been most inimical to all seeds sown with the corn, a portion of 

 which upon arid and poor soils must have perished. Wheat broke into ear 

 generally, about the commencement of the present month, and was in full 

 bloom on the 18th. The turnip fallows on the true turnip soils, we believe, 

 were generally in a forward and good condition ; but much difficulty has been 

 experienced with the clay lands, which, from the state of the weather, were 

 left unstirred, and were thence in such a harsh and clodded state that their 

 culture was found literally impracticable, and the beans planted thereon 

 were risked on a very imperfect tilth ; on the other hand, those clay lands 

 which had fortunately received a ploughing in good time, were in a tolerably 

 friable state, and rather benefitted than otherwise by the heat of the weather ; 

 in fact, heat and considerable drought enrich and fertilize deep and strong 

 soils abounding in radical moisture. 



In addition to the difficulties of the season, on the llth and 12th instant, 

 one of the most tremendous hurricanes occurred that the oldest of us has 

 ever witnessed in the month of June. So far fortunate, its terrible effects 

 were partial, and we trust the greater portion of the country was unvisited 

 by the calamity. The storm seems to have spent its greatest rage in the 

 vicinity of the metropolis and the county of Essex, the chief town of which, 

 Colchester, has suffered considerable damage. Such was the violence of the 

 gale (S.W.) that timber trees were blown up by the roots and even snapped 

 in half, and the greatest havock has been made in the orchards, the fruit 

 being blown about and destroyed, and the trees shattered and dismembered. 

 We yet hope the fruit crop is sufficiently extensive and heavy to bear with 

 this defalcation. The forwardest and tallest wheats, within the course of the 

 gale, have been beaten down flat, and will be greatly damaged. The hop 

 bines, previously shooting up with the utmost vigour and luxuriance, when 

 much exposed, must have been nearly destroyed. 



The late rains have been exceedingly beneficial, and there is great hope 

 that the wheats either have, or will pass through the critical stage of flower- 

 ing or blooming, with success. The present favourable weather continuing 

 will ensure an immediate and happy completion of turnip sowing. The 

 barley, so far as we have had the opportunity of inspection, upon proper 



