[ 118 ] [July, 



MONTHLY AGRICULTURAL REPORT. 



Within the last week, the weather has taken a most favourable turn, daily and 

 nightly exhibiting, without change or variation, in full measure, the benign and genial 

 influence of the English climate. The wind has remained steady in the warm and kindly 

 south-west, producing frequent showers to cool and fructify the parched earth, with occa- 

 sional soaking rains, which penetrated the roots of all vegetables. The sudden improve- 

 ment in vegetable life, and in the colour, from a dingy yeUow, and rufous mixtiure, to a 

 deep, glossy, and burnished green, has been most striking. It remains to be proved 

 whether this auspicious change has come sufficiently early to indemnify the country for 

 the disadvantages necessarily to be expected from one of the severest of our vernal periodi- 

 cal visitations. In France, the prayers for rain were most opportime, the precious boon 

 ha.s been obtained. 



Throughout full three parts of the last month, a most critical season, little or no 

 progress was made in the crops, unless indeed towards disease and deterioration. This is 

 to be miderstood with respect to the grass, the latter sown spring com, the wheats upon 

 poor land, and the beans, peas, and spring tares. As to the wheats on poor uplands or 

 clays, they have been so stinted and weakened by drought and cold parching winds, that it 

 is the general opinion they cannot possibly yield a good crop, whether of corn or straw. 

 Perhaps our expectations from even the best wheat lands arc ftiU sanguine. No doubt that 

 wheat endures dry weather with less damage than any other grain — that it even succeeds 

 best, and is most productive, under a dry temperature ; but tliis ought to be understood of 

 a wliolesome temperature, and not infectious from parching and blighting winds. Some 

 of our finest and most forward v/Iieats were in ear, and progressing towards the flowering 

 progress, during the continuance of the cold northerly winds, and it is scarcely possible 

 that these wheats, however luxuriant and vigorous, could remain unaffected, or indeed 

 escape considerable damage. On the whole, however, the best lands, whetlier under wheat 

 or early sown spring crops, afford rational hopes of a productive harvest, towards which 

 consummation, the late and present genial temperature has no little contributed. 



The vicissitudes during the last and present year, between the extremes of moisture and 

 drought, inundation and parching, have pressed heavily on the cultivators of the soil, 

 already sufficiently bm-dened with disadvantages of another description. The hay harvest 

 became general in the beginning of tiie month, and, upon the best meadows only, has 

 proved moderately successful : on all inferior lands, the swathe has been so insignificant in 

 weight, as scarcely to repay the expense of cutting. This misfortune has extended to the 

 usually moist chraate of our south-western counties, and to Ireland. Scotland seems to 

 have been more fortunate ; and the watered meadows in all parts form an exception, beside 

 the advantage of tlieir producing hay of a superior quality in a dry sea:on. Watered 

 meadows, however, bear a very small proportion in extent to the grass lands of the 

 country. In many distant counties hay-making is custoinarily late : in such, perhaps, 

 from the rains which have fallen, the produce may be more considerable. Hay has neces- 

 sarily risen in price, and as, from the failure of the grass, the old stocks, both of hay and 

 straw, have been in a constant state of consumption, tliose articles must be in request, and 

 dear throughout. 



The clovers, artificial grass seeds, and spring tares, with the late-sown spring corn, all 

 wore a miserable, stinted, and bliglited appearance, imtil the change of temperature 

 occurred, and it seems the general opinion that it occurred too late. Of that, liowever, 

 we shall be'better able to judge in the next Report. The winter tares are said to be a 

 fair crop. Of the beans and peas, the accounts are extremely variable ; but in tlie famous 

 pea country, Kent, that pulse is said to wear a very favourable appearance. It was not 

 possible that the hops should escape the effects of the late season, so favourable to the gene- 

 ration, equivocal or otherwise, of insects ; the consequence is, holding that article on 

 speculation. The dry weather was, in one respect, favourable ; it enabled the fanner to 

 clean his turnip fallows, and they have been generally in a very fair state for the reception 

 of the seed, accompanied by the fortunate circumstance of showery weather succeeding. 

 Sheep shearing commenced too early for the health of the sheep, considering the extreme 

 coldness of the season, a too usual error. It certainly could not be accelerated by any 

 want of wool, for which there is even less demand than ever. British wool, the short 

 species particularly, seems to have lost its ancient repute ; the why and the wherefore is 

 then a subject imperiously demanding a thorough investigation by our flock masters. In 

 this view, the boasts we have lately read in the newspapers, of yearUng South-Down rams 

 judged to weigh eighteen stones dead weight, have no little surprised us. If size and 

 weight of mutton be deliberately preferred, in point of profit, to tine quality in the wool, 

 where is the just ground of complaint ? In adverting to the state of lands above, it ought 

 not to have been omitted that, as the season advances, tlie complaints of foulness in the 

 crops of corn increase, the weeds of every description appearing to rival and contend with 



