No. 9. 



Agricultural Retrospect 



271 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 

 Agricultural Retrospect. 



Mr. Editor, — There are some articles in 

 late numbers of the Cabinet which I turn to 

 with great interest, for from them I have de- 

 rived much matter for reflection ; they are 

 those which go to show the comparative dif- 

 ference between the climate of this country 

 and that of England for the purpose of farm- 

 ing, and I am prepared to consider the pre- 

 ference which is given to the former over the 

 latter, amounting to a rent — see the leading 

 article of the number for December last — by 

 no means overrated: indeed, of this I am 

 abundantly convinced by reading a retrospect 

 of the past year ;n the last number of the 

 Quaiterly Journal of Agriculture; and be- 

 lieving that the perusal would be of much 

 service to some of your readers who have it 

 not in their power to judge of the difference 

 by any other mode of comparison, I am in- 

 duced to copy a few extracts for their com- 

 fort and consolation in these times of low 

 markets and cheap prices. Tlie report was 

 written in November last, and proceeds to say : 



*' The field operations of this year have 

 possessed a very peculiar interest. Spring 

 commenced under the most auspicious cir- 

 cumstances, and high hopes were entertained 

 that a bountiful crop would allay the anxious 

 fears of scarcity arising from a succession of 

 short crops, but these hopes were checked by 

 continued rain during the summer, amid the 

 anticipations of more steady weather in the 

 autumn. Such was the state of the farmer's 

 mind through the year which is now about to 

 close; and although, amidst the greatest vi- 

 cissitudes of weather, hope springs eternal in 

 his breast, the sad reality has, in this instance, 

 'froze the gonial current of his soul,' and 

 doomed him to disappointment! and we do 

 not remember a season of so tantalizing a 

 character. While the seasons of '16 and '17 

 presented an unmitigated sternness of aspect 

 —cold and wet alternating day after day — 

 in this, where general warmth of temperature, 

 gleams of sunshine, and balmy winds — ele- 

 ments essential to healthful vegetation, and 

 fostering hopes of a well-filled crop, which 

 might have been realized, had not these 

 kindly elements assumed a change of charac- 

 ter which neutralized the good they had done. 

 The crop, however, gradually ripened, and 

 was cut with some satisfaction as to its quan- 

 tity, but there was no possibility of saving it; 

 the cutting was continued, but the carrying 

 was not attempted, so that at the end of Sep- 

 tember the whole crop of the country was 

 fitill abroad in the fields, and little grain was 

 carried for a fortnight after, the warm wea- 

 ther continuing with gentle rains. The con- 

 sequences were disastrous, for the grain of all 



kinds sprouted in the straw. The extent of 

 damage in this way cannot be yet ascertained, 

 but the largest portion of the crop was cut 

 and out when the ' muggy' weather hung 

 like a miasm over the face of the whole coun- 

 try. After the 20th of October, however, 

 the weather cleared, which allowed the last 

 of the crop in the late districts to be pretty 

 well secured ; but from the nature of tiie sea- 

 son the wheat cannot be of fine quality, al- 

 though in good soils the quantity might be 

 pretty fair, still much light grain will be 

 found amongst it. Tlie barley is sprouted 

 and unfit for matting, while the oats will be 

 the most deficient of all the grains, the dry 

 weather in the early part of the season stint- 

 ing their growth ; an evil that can never be 

 remedied. The grain markets are dull, the 

 portion of grain that has been presented is far 

 from fine. There is nothing like an average 

 crop of turnips over the country, nor do tho^se 

 which have attained a pretty fair size bear 

 tlie eating of the last year's crop. The wea- 

 ther was favourable to the taking up the 

 crops of potatoes ; since then, however, the 

 frost has been severe, the ice bearing skaters," 

 in November, remember, " and the thermo- 

 meter ranging as low as 16° on the Tweed, 

 the river being nearly covered with ice ! So 

 early a winter is unusual. The experience 

 of this season should act as a stimulus to the 

 farmers of wet and cold soils to drain their 

 lands, for although that operation cannot en- 

 tirely alter the nature of soils, yet it will, if 

 well executed, so far change their nature and 

 texture as to deprive poor thin clays of their 

 superfluous moisture, and so afi^)rd to labour 

 and manure the opportunity of fertilizing it, 

 whilst the climate above it will be rendered 

 innocuous." 



Now, after reading this account, one is pre- 

 pared to ask, what can compensate the anx- 

 iety of mind and harassment of body in such 

 a climate] Surely these things alone make 

 a difference of many rents ; after which come 

 the advantages of a harvest in July, and the 

 opportunity of obtaining winter-food for cat- 

 tle by means of second crops, sown after the 

 main crops are harvested — witness the crop 

 of beets, weighing 8 lbs, each, which obtained 

 the premium at the last horticultural exhibi- 

 tion, raised afler a ripened crop of peas, and 

 the ruta-baga turnips exhibited at your office, 

 grown after wheat ! I tell you, Mr. Editor, 

 there is no comparison between such climates ; 

 and the criterion of judging by rents holds no 

 longer good, for such facilities and comforts 

 are above all price, and are not to be estima- 

 ted by dollars and cents. We only require 

 to be more sensible of our advantages, con- 

 tent ourselves with a less quantity of land, 

 plough deeper and more carefully, drain 

 where necessary, subsoil by means of the 



