120 AGRICULTURAL REPORT. 



soils, appears promising, or rather recovering, and, perhaps, with the oats, 

 may at present be deemed the best spring crops. Barley is reported as likely 

 to advance in price, which we doubt any otherwise than from a defective and 

 unseasonable harvest. The damage sustained by the beans and peas in 

 many parts has probably been too heavy to admit of the hope of a great crop ; 

 we have yet, nevertheless, in this county some very flourishing and well 

 podded pieces of beans. Previously to the hurricane, the hops gave nearly 

 universal satisfaction, the bines running up the poles at the rate of seven or 

 eight inches per day, with scarcely a complaint of vermin. All the early 

 fruits and garden-stuff have come to market in great and lasting abundance ; 

 and the rearers and feeders of poultry, during the spring season, have been 

 repaid by very considerable prices. As to cattle, though the demand for 

 stores is chiefly satisfied, the price of good ones is not much reduced,, whilst 

 fat stock is said not to sell in proportion. Prime oxen for labour obtain 

 readily all the money asked for them. Sheep, both store and fat, hold their 

 price, and great numbers of the former are in request, to fill up the vacancies 

 occasioned by the rot. Large hogs in the bacon districts are dearer. 



Every proposition, taught in the schools, has two sides now we have 

 given the dark and unfortunate side of ours, and it remains to exhibit what- 

 ever may lie within our ken, of the au contraire ; saying to our readers inte- 

 rested in the subject, " look at this picture, and on this," and judge for your- 

 selves ? " They will recollect that we have in almost every late report quoted 

 the most favourable accounts from certain districts, while the majority were 

 expressing the most doleful apprehensions respecting the crops, and even for 

 the prosperity of the country. We will now give them the substance of what 

 we, have seen in letters from Northumberland and the northern border, all 

 which seems to be confirmed by opinions held in our neighbour county, 

 Herts, and various others. Could these ideas be substantiated and generalized, 

 we should indeed have just cause for gratulation rather than complaint. 

 " June 10th The heat of the weather was extreme throughout May, which, 

 aided by the refreshing showers that have since fallen, mostly attended by 

 thunder, have forced up the most luxuriant crops of corn, grass, and, indeed, 

 of all vegetation, that we have ever witnessed. The wheats are thick set and 

 just getting into bloom, and the spring crops no way behind them in promise." 

 Letters from the south of Scotland bring the accounts of considerable 

 alarm at what they style a new disease in the potatoe, and on which they 

 have bestowed a new name the taint. It seems that part of the seeds or 

 eyes have failed, being decayed and filled with worms ; in some cases the 

 eyes or cuts were soft and pappy ; in others, hard enough to bear a com- 

 parison with marble. Our Scotch brethren need be under no peculiar appre- 

 hension on this score. They have exactly described the potatoe as affected 

 by an unfavourable season, as is also the wheat, though under different 

 phenomena. We do not recollect any seasons similar to the late and present, 

 in which a part of the potatoe crop was not affected in this way, and thence 

 rendered unsafe for seed. For example, during the cold nights in May some 

 of the earliest of the potatoe plants turned quite black, and we should 

 be very wary how we used the produce of such for planting. By analogy, 

 there would be little hope in using blighted seed-wheat. 



The Dead Markets, by the carcase, per stone of 8lbs. Beef, 2s. Id. to 

 3 5 . 3<j. Mutton, 2s. 8d. to 4s. Id. Lamb, 3s. 4d. to 5s. Wd. Veal, 3s. Od. to 

 4 Sf 8cZ. Pork, 3s. 2d. to 4s. 4d. Dairy, 5s. 



Corn Exchange. Wheat, 4.0s. to 66s. Barley, 24s. to 34s. Oats, 15s. to 

 25s. London Loaf, 4lb., Qd. Hay, 50s. to 75s. Clover ditto, 70s. to 100s. 

 Straw, 26s. to 32s. 



Coal Exchange. Coals in the Pool, 11s. 3d. to 16s. per ton. Delivered to 

 the consumer at an addition of 9s. to 12s. per ton. 

 Middlesex, June 24. 



