AGRICULTURAL REPORT. 



the present crop of wheat than has been known for some years, with its 

 usual concomitants, burnt ears, the whole of which may be blown away like 

 tinder, ear-cockle (burnt and shrivelled kernels), red gum, &c., all the natu- 

 ral effects of lliyht ; the straw, however, is said to have been more fortu- 

 nate, and to have escaped better than the ear, which agrees with our own 

 observation. It is really amusing to read certain friends' letters on the 

 ancient and weather-beaten subject of smut in wheat. They lament, with 

 so much gravity, the neglect of many farmers, in that they did not brine, 

 and lime, and dress their seed wheat last autumn, in order to prevent smut. 

 A neglect certainly, yet the said process will never prevent the disease in a 

 smutty season like the late, abounding in constant interchanges of heat 

 and cold, moisture and drought. Smut has indeed, in the present as well as 

 preceding seasons, according to our information, acted with much impar- 

 tiality, affecting, in equal measure, the briners and non-briners. 



We have spoken of the superior samples of this golden crop, and even 

 among those, many have been found of a bad hand and damp, a state in 

 which the bulk of this year's wheat has unfortunately, and somewhat 

 strangely, been found. Yet surely it is a singular occurrence that, in so dry 

 or rather droughty a season, there should be no mean of getting wheat up 

 dry. No doubt the reasons for these hasty measures are sufficiently obvious 

 want of money, and apprehension of a decline in the markets. But there 

 are numerous growers that such motives cannot and ought not to influence ; 

 and, after all, this hurrying the corn to market may contribute more towards 

 bringing down the prices than any other cause in speculation. With the 

 above exceptions, then, in regard to quality and quantity, which we hope 

 wLl amount to one-fourth part of the crop, there will remain three-fourths 

 much below an average in quantity, and in quality middling, inferior, shri- 

 velled and light, diseased. The stock of old wheat in the country is perhaps 

 considerably larger than has been calculated, to which may be added the 

 quantity of foreign in bond ; but it is yet too early to speculate on either the 

 autumnal or following spring markets. There is a vast quantity of wheat so 

 damp, that it will not acquire a good hand for market without the keeping of 

 many months. The price of wheat, wavering in some few parts, is generally 

 held up with considerable firmness. 



The most unfavourable accounts we have seen are from the south-western 

 parts generally. Their wheat harvest closed about the middle of the month, 

 the weather being constantly fine and giving no interruption, and the whole 

 business performed with little more than half the usual labour and expense ; 

 but the sting in the tail of this benefit is, the number of sheaves to be carted 

 was poor indeed, even below expectation, though from a crop on the ground 

 which had, during a long time, appeared fearfully light. We should hope 

 there is some exaggeration of misfortune in the following account, which we 

 have seen in the newspapers. " According to the estimate of two practical 

 farmers' and professional valuators, on four thousand acres of land, much of 

 them in the Vale of Taunton, so famous for the production of wheat, the 

 average produce of that grain, in the present year, is but 13 bushels per 

 statute acre !" A Somersetshire farmer proceeds to remark on this " the 

 present price of new wheat being 6s. 6d. per bushel, the above acreable 

 amount is 41. 4s. 6d., whilst the cost of production is, in many instances, 

 double, and in very few can be taken so low as 61. 15s. Of the other crops, 

 little can be said until next month, yet of that little, more than is pleasant. 

 Barley will be much under an average, it is supposed ; a light crop in corn 

 and straw, and the grain lean and much discoloured ; with, however, favour- 

 able exceptions, as in the case of the wheat crop. Pease short in quantity ; 

 beans also defective, and since this continued drought gone off in many parts 

 in so alarming a degree, that there will be scarcely any crop at all ; and that 

 upon heavy clays, where beans are the farmers' chief dependence. Potatoes, 



