86 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



REVIEW OF THE CORN TRADE 



DURING THE PAST MONTH. 



The month of June has passed away with very 

 httle summer weather : the temperature has been 

 low, and the fall of rain unusually heavy and fre- 

 quent. All this is seriously against a fair yield of 

 corn, and the hay crop is brought into a critical 

 position. Many mowers, who came from the north 

 into Middlesex in the hope of full and remunera- 

 tive employment, after waiting in vain for fine wea- 

 ther, have returned home exhausted and im- 

 poverished. So, with the Irish away this season, 

 should the weather take up, farmers will be in 

 great difficulty to obtain sufficient hands to clear 

 their meadows ; and the consequences may be truly 

 disastrous, as the crop at best is now only expected 

 to be light. As regards wheat, very little is yet in 

 ear : only a small portion on light and well-drained 

 land looks well, while the cold clays must be very 

 short, however favourable may be a change. Spring 

 corn, which till lately looked more promising, is 

 turning yellow and sickly, more especially the barley j 

 and though a larger breadth of this grain has been 

 sown than usual, it is doubtful whether much can 

 be fit for malting. Few indeed recollect so un- 

 propitious a season, and we are referred back to 

 1816, as the nearest parallel. Then the wheat was 

 so sprouted that the dough could not rise, and the 

 bread was unpalatable and innutritious. Some 

 large potato-growers say the roots are rotting, and 

 unless a kind Providence interposes for the na- 

 tional good there is no calculating upon the public 

 pressure. Let us, however, hope that He " who 

 holds the winds in his fists, and the waters in the 

 hollow of his hand," will be again propitious, and 

 avert the calamities which otherwise must over- 

 take us. The fact that we have all along maintained 

 respecting the deficiency of the last harvest has 

 now become plain, and the surplus of the two 

 previously bountiful years appears to have been 

 pretty well used up in the country ; while foreign 

 stocks, notwithstanding more hberal imports lately 

 are but small, there being in London less perhaps 

 than one hundred and fifty thousand quarters. 

 This shows the enormous consumption going on, 

 and the necessity of continuous foreign arrivals to 

 meet the wants of the increasing population. The 

 trade, used for years to low prices, has been very 

 sluggish in accepting higher rates for wheat, and 

 the past month, after gaining 3s. per qr. during the 

 first fortnight, lost about half the amount at the 

 close, making the difference in favour of prices 

 little more than Is. 6d. per qr. The weather 

 henceforth must settle the value till the completion 

 of harvest, but as there appears no prospect of an 

 abundance, even should a dry and sunny time set 

 in, the chances seem much more in favour of a 

 farther rise than fall. Independently of the state 

 of our own crop, that of France is next in im- 

 portancej, and its similarity to our own seems tp 



settle at least the present range of prices. In 

 other near countries also indications are unfavour- 

 able, so reports say from Belgium and Holland ; 

 but Germany, though backward, may yet have 

 abundance. Spain and Italy are pretty well assured. 

 Southern Russia is very promising. The province 

 of Algiers has yielded satisfactorily, as well as 

 Egypt. The weather has been suitable in America, 

 and should a failure be the lot of Britain, foreign 

 stores, as in times past, may yet bring us plenty of 

 corn. It will be seen by the following recent ac- 

 counts of prices in foreign parts that a great rise 

 in several places is noted since last month, more 

 especially in France, Flour at Paris has reached 

 45s, per sack for the best marks, and the finest 

 wheat about 60s. Red wheat at Louvain of first 

 quahty has been fetching 58s. to 60s. per qr. 

 Antwerp has been quoting 60s. 6d. as a top price ; 

 Amsterdam, 6 Is. per qr. ; at Groningen red wheat 

 was 57s. per qr. ; Hambro' has realized 59s. to 60s. 

 per qr. for 62 lbs. Mecklenburg red wheat, the 

 same price being obtained for Wahren red for July 

 shipment. Soft wheat at Galatz has been selling 

 at 36s. to 37s. per qr. for England. Wheat at 

 Algiers brought about 45s. to 46s., but shipments 

 were not expected to be made before August, 

 Leghorn was firmer through English advices, 

 Genoa quoted 57s, per qr. At Odessa, with large 

 supplies from the interior, and good prospects, 

 especially in Taurida, prices were declining, but 

 English orders and extensive sales of Ghirka 

 quality freight included at 54s. to 54s. 6d. revived 

 the market. New York, although several ship- 

 ments have been made for this country, was finally 

 rather easier for breadstuff's, flour ranging from 

 about 21s, to 3ls, per brl. of 1961bs., and wheat 

 41s. 8d. to 55s. from red spring to fine southern 

 white per 480lbs. 



The first wheat market in London opened on the 

 back of fair supplies principally from the Baltic, 

 But little was sent up in the course of the morn- 

 ing from Kent and Essex. About 2s. ad- 

 vance was generally demanded early in the morn- 

 ing, but eventually Is. was accepted on the sales 

 made of white, though occasionally 2s. was paid 

 on red, but the good foreign supply made millers 

 careless buyers, and a portion was unsold. Danzic 

 and Russian sorts sold at a similar improvement, 

 but there was very little increase in the value of 

 lower Baltic red. Hull, Leeds, Birmingham, Spal- 

 ding, Gloucester, and many other places were up 

 Is. to 2s.; Boston, Bristol, and Wakefield 2s.; 

 and Norwich 38.; but several places as Gainsborough, 

 Newark, and Stockton-on-Tees only noted an im- 

 provement of Is. per qr. Liverpool on Tuesday 

 was 2d. per cental higher for Danzic and French 

 red qualities, and on Friday there was a further 

 advance of 2d. to 3d, percenta}. Both Edinburgh 



