280 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



yet be propitious, and prove more favourable than 

 our fears ! 



One calamitous fact is, hov/ever, settled. The 

 destruction among potatoes is as extensive as 

 hitherto known, not being limited to the United 

 Kingdom, but spreading over Northern Europe, 

 and already influencing the price of rye, through 

 large speculative purchases. This grain, too, in 

 these countries, has been poor in its yield, and da- 

 maged in harvesting by the weather. So the 

 cheaper sorts of food, which might have served as 

 substitutes in case of a failure in wheat, have 

 already risen in price, and are reduced in quantity. 

 There are yet some favourable circumstances in the 

 general depression with regard to wheat. Mildew, 

 which was greatly feared, has been seldom com- 

 ])lained of; and the weather seems to have deprived 

 the growing crops of their usual susceptibility as 

 to sprouting : so a more than ordinary amount of 

 moisture may be borne without serious damage. 

 But the forward pieces, and much Talavera wheat, 

 have partially sprouted, as well as barley and 

 peas. 



Some place the time for the clearance of our 

 fields as distant as November— a period that for- 

 merly was common in Scotland ; but let us hope 

 that a golden autumn will yet come to the relief of 

 farmers. 



The weather having been equally bad in the 

 North of France, the Imperial Government has 

 suspended the operation of the slidmg scale to 

 September, 1861, admitting wheat at the minimum 

 scale of duty till then, in all vessels by sea a • well 

 as transit by land. This, being about 8d. per qr., 

 is below our own slight impost. 



It is unsatisfactory to the British farmer to be 

 told that Canada and the United States have an 

 unusual abundance, and that Southern Russia has 

 a plentiful yield, of fine quality. We have yet to 

 see what the Baltic can do, the weather there hav- 

 ing also been bad, though no great fears have been 

 yet entertained. 



The London markets, for the first three weeks, 

 were about balanced in their fluctuations; but the 

 last week exhibited a rise of 4s. per qr. on wheat, 

 and 6s. per sack on town flour. The general 

 averages, however, slowly following the course of 

 business, exhibit only a difference of 2s. 6d. per 

 qr. in favour of prices, commencing at 57s., and 

 closing at 59s. 6d. perqr. 



Stocks in this country appear nearly exhausted ; 

 and had it not been for more liberal arrivals of 

 foreign lately received, the rise must have ex- 

 ceeded 10s. per qr. For, be it remembered, last 

 year's yield was seriously deficient ; and, instead 

 of its being made up by an equivalent foreign im- 

 port, the long ])revalence of low prices had so en- 

 tirely dispirited importers and speculators, that 

 very few orders went out; and the sum of last 

 year's arrivals, for the cereal year ending 31st July 

 last, shows a decrease, as compared with the three 

 years preceding, of 1,205,333 qrs., wheat and flour 

 included, being at the rate of 25 per cent, reduc- 

 tion, with a rapidly-rising population. 



The future rests upon the weather ; but as we 

 have held, and do hold, that this unpropitious year 

 as to the growth of the corn gave no promise of 



' a full average yield, so, should the gatherings be 

 disastrous, our wants as a country are likely to 

 reach to ten millions of qrs. ; and to supply such a 

 store, all the surplus both of America and Europe 

 would be necessary, as well as all the spare Indian 

 corn which the old and new world could send on. 



Foreign markets at such a time of excitement 

 are little to be relied on, liut the following rates 

 have recently obtained at the ports named. The 

 Paris market quoted about 64s. 2d. for the best 

 wheat, the price of red at Nantes being 54s. 

 per qr. At Louvain, 62 to 63lbs. wheat was worth 

 63s. to 64s. per qr. Baltic wheat at Antwerp was 

 quoted 6ls. per qr., hard Syrian 63s. The highest 

 price at Rotterdam was 67s. per qr. At Hambro' 

 there had been a rise of 3s. per qr., Mecklenburg 

 weighing 63lbs. per bushel being sold at 66s. per 

 qr., and subsequently held at Is. per qr. more. At 

 Groningen 61 to 62lbs. had brought 57s. per qr. 

 on the 21st instant. Prices at Odessa ranged from 

 38s. to 45s. At Galatz, sales of soft wheat had 

 been making at 36s. 6d. per qr. free on board. 

 Saide wheat at Alexandria had brought 34s. to 35s. 

 per qr. Sales were made at Trieste at 54s. At 

 Santander flour had been selling at 40s. per sack. 

 Soft wheat at Algiers was worth 47s. 6d. per qr. 

 The New York markets, in consequence of large 

 supplies from the West, had lately been calm, not- 

 withstanding a free export to England. Spring 

 wheat at Montreal had been selling at about 408. 

 lOd. per 4S0lbs.; Winter at Toronto was worth 

 40s. per qr. of 4S0lbs. ; Spring wheat at Chicago 

 28s. 4d. to 28s. 8d. per 480lbs. Advices from 

 New York made white Michigan wheat worth 47s. 

 6d. to 50s. per qr. of 480lb., and winter red 47s. 

 6d. per qr., with freights 7s. 3d. to 7s. 9d. per qr. 



The first Monday in London opened on a large 

 foreign and moderate English supply of wheat. 

 The quantity showing from Essex and Kent dur- 

 ing the morning was but small, but as the pre- 

 vious week's supply had not been disposed of, in 

 consequence of the heavy arrival of foreign and the 

 indisposition of holders to take lower rates for 

 home-grown samples, Essex factors found it neces- 

 sary to give way Is. to 2s. per qr. The large at- 

 tendance from the country enabled holders of 

 foreign to maintain the previous quotations, and 

 there was a good demand for cargoes. The 

 country markets this week were mostly unaltered, 

 some, however, as Hull, Newcastle, Birmingham, 

 Boston, and Newark, were Is. per qr. dearer. 

 Newbury and a few other places were as much 

 down, Market-Harbro' and Newark noting a de- 

 cline of Is. to 2s. perqr. Liverpool was id. to 2d. 

 per cental dearer on Tuesday, without subsequent 

 change. The weather this week was fair in Scot- 

 land, but the principal markets remained firm. 



On the second Monday, though the foreign sup- 

 plies were good, they were much reduced, as were 

 the English arrivals. Very little appearing from 

 the near counties, there was a better sale on pre- 

 vious terms, and foreign factors found a fair en- 

 quiry from country buyers at full prices. Sales 

 on the coast still proceeded freely. With indica- 

 tions of the weather taking up, some of the country 

 wheat markets were dull j Birmingham, Sheffield, 

 Spalding, and Bristol were firm; Newcastle, Hull, 



