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JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
August  28,  1902. 
The  Wheat  Market. 
The  benefit  to  the  farmer  from  the  recent  l’ise  in  Wheat 
is  likely  to  be  shortlived,  for  reports  from  Continental 
countries  show  that  during  the  next  twelve  months  they 
will  be  nearly,  if  not  quite,  self-supporting,  and  the  United 
Kingdom  being  the  only .  available  market  for  the  surplus 
from  America  and  Australia,  there  is  little  prospect  of 
present  prices  being  supported.  It  is  not  at  all  unlikely 
that  we  shall  have  Wheat  at  25s.  here  as  soon  as  harvest  is 
over,  and  it  will  be  interesting  to  see  how  far  the  millers 
and  bakers  may  succeed  in  keeping  up  the  price  of  the 
loaf.  This  has  been  kept  up  well  after  being  artificially 
raised  at  the  introduction  of  the  registration  duty,  and  we 
may  be  allowed  to  hope  that  the  consumer  may  get  his  own 
back  when  the  rebound  comes.  Agriculture  is  in  pressing 
need  of  all  the  money  the  consumer  can  afford  to  pay,  but 
too  much  toll  is  exacted  by  those  who  do  the  transfer. 
Of  the  countries  of  Europe,  Italy  and  Spain  are  the  only 
two  with  comparatively  poor  crops  of  Wheat.  The  fine 
crops  of  the  Continent,  unlike  our  own,  are  in  many  cases 
already  harvested,  so  there  is  little  chance  of  much  demand 
from  these,  except  at  very  low  prices.  England  will  there¬ 
fore  once  more  become  the  dumping  ground  for  the  world, 
and  fanners  will  act  wisely  in  threshing  and  realising  their 
Wheat  at  the  earliest  opportunity.  Prices  are  sure  to  fall, 
but  there  is  one  consolation  to  the  British  farmer :  “  the 
foreigner  will  have  to  pay  13^d.  per  quarter  for  the  privilege 
of  competing  with  him.” 
That  harvest  will  be  much  later  than  has  been  generally 
expected  is  now  certain.  Agricultural  reports  were  pub¬ 
lished  as  late  as  August  11  forecasting  a  commencement  as 
early  as  the  20th  or  25th  in  certain  districts,  where  we  can 
guarantee  there  will  be  no  reaping  before  September  4  at 
the  earliest.  That  this  may  help  to  steady  prices  during 
the  next  month  is  probable,  but  it  will  afterwards  tend  to 
concentrate  autumn  thrashings  into  a  small  space  of  time, 
and  intensify  the  inevitable  glut.  It  may  appear  wearisome 
reiteration,  but  the  fact  that  the  earliest  thrasher  always 
meets  with  the  best  market  is  especially  worth  repeating 
this  year. 
Potato  Disease  and  the  Crop. 
There  are  dire  rumours  abroad  as  to  the  condition  of  the 
Potato  crop,  and  if  we  had  not  grown  accustomed  to  the 
annual  cry  of  “  wolf  ”  so  persistently  raised  by  growers  we 
might  have  been  seriously  alarmed  for  the  safety  of  the 
national  supply.  The  sight  of  the  strawsoniser  working  in 
mid-August  amongst  a  very  fine  looking  crop  shows  that 
there  is  alarm  in  the  mind  of  at  least  one  farmer.  An  ex¬ 
amination  of  the  haulm  revealed  no  signs  of  disease,  and 
though  the  farmers’  practice  to  prevent  in  order  to  save 
curing  may  be  sound  financially,  we  fancy  that  there  is  a 
good  deal  more  fright  than  injury.  There  has  been  much 
difference  of  opinion  amongst  this  man’s  neighbours  as  to 
whether  the  sprayer  had  been  used  to  prevent  disease  or  to 
knock  down  the  haulm,  and  so  let  light  and  air  act  on  the 
soil.  The  appearance  of  the  crop  immediately  after  the 
operation  was  somewhat  appalling,  but  now,  a  week  later, 
there  is  no  sign  of  damage,  and,  on  the  contrary,  both  leaf 
and  stem  look  as  healthy  as  possible.  A  portion  of  the 
field  is  left  unsprayed,  and  we  shall  watch  with  great  in¬ 
terest  for  any  difference  that  may  develop. 
We  have  so  far  seen  no  sign  of  the  ordinary  Potato 
disease,  but  have  had  our  attention  drawn  to  dying  or  dead 
patches  in  certain  fields,  and  in  others  to  the  numerous 
backward  and  feebly  looking  roots  which  are  evenly  dis¬ 
tributed  throughout  the  crop.  The  patches  we  should 
attribute  to  wireworm,  which  is  generally  very  local  in  its 
attacks.  The  haulm  is  in  many  cases  almost  detached  from 
the  root,  and  it  shrivels  up  and  dies  away.  At  these  roots 
there  may  be  one  fair-sized  tuber  and  the  rest  small  rubbish. 
The  weak  growth  and  delicate  appearance  of  many  indi¬ 
vidual  roots  spread  throughout  a  crop  is  probably  due  to 
one  of  two  causes,  both  affecting  the  seed  before  planting ; 
firstly  immature  ripening,  secondly  a  severe  chill  in  the 
storage  pit. 
There  was  certainly  frost  severe  enough  last  spring  to 
injure,  or,  rather,  weaken,  tubers  which  were  afterwards 
used  for  seed  ;  but  last  year’s  crop  was  so  full  of  second 
growth  which  had  not  properly  matured  at  lifting  time,  and. 
was  quite  unfit  for  seed  purposes,  that  we  think  herein  lies 
the  solution  of  the  problem.  When  all  the  tubers  of  a 
certain  size  are  retained  for  seed,  without  any  regard  for 
their  ripeness,  a  very  large  proportion  of  them  may  be  quite 
unfit  for  the  purpose,  and  we  are  certain  this  was  so  in 
many  instances  last  spring. 
We  do  not  suggest  for  a  moment  that  there  is  no 
disease  prevalent  anywhere,  for  the  weather  just  now  is 
most  favourable  for  its  spread  ;  but  we  wish  to  point  out 
that  failures  from  poor  seed  or  grubs  may  have  but  a  very 
small  influence  for  evil  on  the  general  crop,  and  one  almost 
immaterial  when  compared  to  the  terrible  ravages  of 
fungoid  diseases.  Ill  news  spreads  as  rapidly  as  Potato 
disease,  and  we  fancy  that  the  dire  reports  now  in  circula¬ 
tion  have  made  much  greater  progress  than  the  attacks  they 
announce.  If  there  is  real  disease  there  will  soon  be  ample 
evidence  of  it.  A  bad  attack  has  never  been  isolated  yet. 
The  new  kinds  are  all  looking  satisfactory  as  regards 
outside  appearance.  Empress  Queen  and  Royal  Kidney  are 
reported  to  promise  well  at  the  root,  but  Charles  Fidler, 
though  a  heavy  crop,  perhaps  the  heaviest,  shows  signs  of 
coarseness  already.  Up  to  Dates  from  newly  imported  seed 
(Scotch)  will  hold  their  own  well,  we  think.  They  held  the 
markets  so  well  last  season  that  there  must  be  a  great 
demand  for  them  as  soon  as  they  are  ripe. 
Work  on  the  Home  Farm. 
The  long  delay  in  the  ripening  of  the  corn  is  becoming  more 
and  more  inconvenient  to  the  methodical  farmer.  A  succession 
of  fairly  rapid  August  harvests  has  made  it  difficult  for  him  to 
accommodate  himself  to  a  September  one.  The  efforts  will  now  be 
chiefly  directed  towards  clearing  off  every  possible  arrear  of  work, 
not  only  leaving  nothing  over  until  autumn,  but  doing  a  few 
things  which  are  usually  not  done  until  then. 
We  are  busy  manuring  land  which  will  be  ploughed  for 
Potatoes  in  November.  There  would  be  no  time  to  manure  them 
after  harvest.  They  are  now  stocked  with  breeding  ewes,  and 
will  be,  for  it  would  be  unwise  to  put  lambs  on  them  after  the 
manuring. 
The  coals  have  been  led  here,  but  a  farmer’s  waggon  laden  with 
black  diamonds  is  no  uncommon  sight  on  the  roads.  Coals  have 
kept  their  price  well.  We  are  still  2s.  higher  than  before  the 
war,  and  yet  trade  is' supposed  to  be  very  bad.  Another  good 
reason  for  farmers  to  combine. 
There  has  been  plenty  of  hedge  trimming  to  occupy  the 
skilled  hands.  It  is  work  which  may  be  very  suitably  done  now. 
The  hedges  have  got  their  full  growth,  and  look  more  ragged  than 
usual  after  such  a  growing  season.  If  we  get  all  the  low  hedges 
neatly  trimmed  now  we  shall  be  able  to  present  a  good  appear¬ 
ance  when  the  shooting  parties  assemble  after  the  stubbles  are 
cleared.  We  fear  partridges  have  suffered  from  the  cold  season, 
and  sport  will  not  be  so  good  as  usual.  There  are  many  barren 
birds  about. 
A  practical  farmer  in  the  next  parish  declares  that  he  will  mow 
all  his  grain  with  the  scythe  if  he  can  get  the  men  to  do  it.  This 
endorses  our  views,  which  were  expressed  last  week.  Binders 
may  be  used  of  sheer  necessity,  but  may  prove  very  costly  unless 
we  are  to  have  a  September  summer. 
Lambs  are  still  doing  well,  and  there  is  a  plethora  of  keeping, 
but  stock  markets  are  full,  and  sheep  lower  in  price,  4s.  per  head 
the  butchers  say.  Farmers  must  have  money  for  current 
expenses,  so  they  are  selling  sheep  which  they  will  have  to 
repurchase  later  on.  We  see  by  the  papers  that  a  Lincolnshire 
farmer  has  lost  fifty  sheep  after  twice  dipping  at  a  short  interval. 
The  nature  of  the  dip  is  not  stated.  Can  there  have  been 
mercury  in  it? 
