July 21. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
307 
the produce would be the result; it is, therefore, a mat¬ 
ter of importance if an estimate can be made of the pro¬ 
bable deficiency of so valuable a crop as that of Wheat, 
with a near approach to accuracy. 
Upon all dry soils, sown in good time, the Wheat looks 
likely to produce a fair crop ; the appearances up to the 
middle of June were certainly in favour of an average 
produce; but the wet and boisterous weather experienced 
since that period forbids such anticipation; it being 
well known that our greatest crops of Wheat have oc¬ 
curred when the weather in the month of June has been 
dry and hot, without much wind. On the other hand, 
it has been noticed that more or less deficiency of this 
crop invariably follows when the weather, during the 
blooming time of the Wheat plant, has proved cold, wet, 
and windy. 
Such has been the effect of the weather during the 
past seed time, that a considerable portion of the driest 
soils were seeded in bad condition; the consequence is 
a deficiency of plant; the results of which, in all proba¬ 
bility, will be a considerable diminution of the crop. Tt 
is also to be observed that a portion of these soils have 
not been sown with Wheat on account of the unfavour¬ 
able season. The cold clay lands, and much of the 
Wheat growing soils, as they are termed, even where 
the land is in good condition, and was seeded in proper 
time, wears a most unpromising aspect. The lengthened 
period of wet weather has encouraged the growth of 
grass and weeds to such an extent as to damage 
seriously the crop; and in most instances, where the 
weeds have not been hoed out, the ears of Wheat are so 
small that a light produce must be the result. 
A portion of the heavy land, sown during the un¬ 
toward season, cannot possibly produce a satisfactory 
crop. A considerable quantity of land, intended for 
Wheat, upon this soil, never could be seeded during the 
usual season; it has, therefore, been sown with spring 
Wheat of different varieties, and it must be confessed 
looks very well up to the present time; but spring-sown 
Wheat never can be depended on to produce a good 
crop, much less to make up a deficiency arising from an 
exceptional and unusual seed time. Large breadths of 
cold land, intended for Wheat, could not be sown, and 
has, therefore, been appropriated to other crops. 
My opinion is, that there is twenty per cent, less land 
sown to Wheat than usual in this county, and that the 
produce arising from that which has been sown, will, 
under the most favourable circumstances, as regards the 
yield and the harvest, prove at the least fifteen per cent, 
per acre under an average crop. 
Of Lent corn a great breadth has been sown; I should 
say about as much more as the Wheat crop is less than 
the usual quantity ; and the appearance of the crops of 
Barley and Oats are good, and certainly bid fair to 
produce more than an average crop of stravy. The qua¬ 
lity of the grain, however, is likely to be inferior, on 
account of the late seed time, for the frost continued 
until so late a period, that a great portion of the Barley 
was not sown until a fortnight after the time usually 
chosen for the purpose. 
Both Barley and Oats are decidedly late in coming 
into ear, which will make the harvest late, should the 
weather prove ever so favourable. Winter Beans are 
very deficient in plant, although the crop has gone on 
well, and made a very luxuriant growth until within 
the past few days, during which time the haulm has 
been attacked with blight; but I have seen no instance 
as yet where the crop is likely to suffer serious damage. 
The Pea crop has also looked very promising until 
lately; since the dark, windy weather has set in from the 
south-west the green aphis has appeared upon the 
plants in many fields, from the attack of which I fear 
injury to the crop will ensue. 
Spring Beans are late, and do not show so much 
haulm as in some seasons; they are likely to blossom 
well, and I do not at present see any black aphis upon 
them, nor do I expect it unless we get a dry north or 
east. wind. 
The crops of Clover , upon all soils, are decidedly over 
an average produce, and having been cut nearly all at 
one time previous to the late rains, I do not- recollect 
having seen the crop more generally and seriously da¬ 
maged for many years than it is at present. The mea- 
doivs, and upland pastures, also, have a good crop on 
them, and as a fair proportion yet remains to be cut it 
may be got up well, although much has been injured 
where cut in the early season. 
Of Potatoes, a short quantity has been planted this 
season; many growers having been heavy losers last 
year have been deterred from planting. The season, 
hitherto, has, however, been very favourable for this 
crop, there having been no excess of moisture since 
planting time. I have noticed a few instances of the 
blight, although, generally, they are looking well. 
Joseph Blundell. 
OPERATION FOR CROP BOUND. 
« 
The remarks of Dr Horner, inserted in page 270, on the 
above operation, are so evidently intended to apply to my 
communication which appeared at page 48 of the present 
volume, that I do not hesitate to reply to them. 
Dr Horner denounces “laying open the crop to the 
unwarrantable extent of two inches at its lowest part, as 
recommended in The Cottage Gaedenee.” Until Dr. 
Horner can point out where the recommendation to open 
the crop at its lowest part is to be found in The Cottage 
Gaedenee, he must be content to remain under the imputa¬ 
tion of negligent misrepresentation. I fully agree with him 
on the extreme folly of making an incision at that part 
where the food would, by its weight, tend to open it; but 
until he can prove the suggestion to have been previously 
published, the credit of originating it is entirely his own. 
Dr. Horner, it appears, practices making an incision, two- 
thirds of an inch in length, in the crop of a Sebright Bantam 
pullet, which could scarcely have weighed three-quarters-of- 
a-pound, whilst he condemns, as “ unwarrantable,” an inci¬ 
sion three times as long (namely, two inches) in the crop of 
a Cochin of ten pounds. I should have imagined that, in 
proportion to the size of his patient, the Doctor’s was by 
far the more severe operation. 
The suggestion to remove the swollen materials with a 
pin is amusing; in the case in question the quantity re¬ 
moved was fourteen-and-a-half ounces, and by the muscular 
contraction of the crop exercised on it for many days, it had 
been compressed into a mass of such firmness as to be per¬ 
fectly unyielding when pressed with the fingers, and was 
