^^j^ Agriciiliural hiteUtgence — England, Nor. 



ed tlie profpci!^ to the agrlcuIturiRs is not at prefent very encouraging, 

 though the rage for hiring farms does not yet appear to have much 

 cooled. The prefent price of grain, I am confident, cannot allow the 

 farmer a living profit on the capital employed. OSlober 18. 



Letter from a Farmer in Wales , O^ioh^r 18. 



< Since I wrote you in July, we have enjoyed a continuance of dry 

 weather, and, of courfe, a mofl favourable harveft. In the lower 

 diftricl, reaping commenced in the firll week of Auguft ; and, by the 

 iirll of September, nearly the whole crop was fafely fecured in the rick 

 yard. Wages for reapers went very high ; no lefs than 2s. 6d. and 3s. 

 per day befides board ; and, when cut by the piece, 6s. per acre, to- 

 gether with board, was paid for merely cutting and laying down. Bar- 

 ley and cats are uniformly cut with the fcythe j but hooks are ufed for 

 wheat, though fome people have lately tried the fcythe for this grain, 

 our mode of reaping by the hook being fhamefully negligent. The 

 crop is of inferior bulk to the preceding one ; but the grain is generaliy 

 of gcod. quality', the major part of oats excepted : thefe are fmall, of 

 a bad colour, and tough to thrafh ; though before harveft. they had an 

 excellent appearance, 



* The dry weather impeded the gro\rth of our turnip and potato fields. 

 Our hay crop was gcod ; and a large ftock of laft year's produce being 

 in hand, it is to be hoped that fuiScient provender will be found in the 

 diftricl for fuppoiting the beftial. The grafs grounds, even thofe of 

 the beft quality, are quite burnt up, which occafions many people to 

 ref(/t already to hay for fupporting the working oxen. During the 

 iafl three months, the prices of cattle have dropped greatly, owing, as 

 I prefume, to the fcarcity of grafs in the Englifh feeding counties ; 

 and many breeders and graziers have given their fummer grafs for no- 

 thing. The fume with fheep. Pigs are hardly worth one half of their 

 laft year's value ; but butter and cheefe are higher than ever known. 

 Wheat is flow of fale, owing to the want of water at the mills. The 

 lowing of this grain is far advanced ; and with many farmers it would 

 have been finiflied, had not the fcvcrity of the drought interdicted the 

 plougliing of clover leas, efpecially where the ground is of a ftiff or ob- 

 durate nature. ' 



Northumberland ^mrterly Report. 



For the laft three months, the weather has been almoft uniformly 

 cry. The only rains that have fallen in th:it period were in the fir-ik 

 week in Auguft, the third week in September, and the beginning of 

 06tober. The firft came \ery opportunely for faving the turnip crop, 

 and for reftoring vegetation to the grafs lands, the pafiurcs being at that 

 rime completely eat up, and cattle in the grcateft. diftrcfs for want of 

 food. The fucceeding dry Aveather Avas pecuharly favourable for the 

 han-eft. Crops of all kinds were probably never better fecured ; and 

 '■''lere having be^n no high winds to occafion any ftiake, they were never 



got 



