The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-07-28 00:00:00

HOME AND FOREIGN HARVEST
PROSPECTS.

Under the above heading, The Times publishes an
article from a correspondent, from which we make the

following extracts :L.•

The corn- planted areas of 1883 are noticeably changed
from the cropping of recent years, owing to the wet-
nese of the peed-seasui—October to February. The
extravagant opinion has often been expressed that the
hrpadth of wheat will be only two-thirds of what it was
in 1882, but unhelped by statistics (collected in June,
yet unpublishad at the end of July), I can only guess
at the result, and conclude from much observation the
area planted to be over 10 per cent, and under 15 per
cent, deficiency, the difference going into barley
and potato cultivation. Yorkshire and Lincolnshire
are believed to hare a very short wheat breadth,
while Norfolk and the lighter lands of the
southern counties will probably have an average.
Since February the season has often had many good
points in its favour, as the fruit crops and hop-
gardens witness, but its lateness, at one time.three
weeks to a month, is a featura of the year, and at
this date the fields are generally ten days to a fort-
night backward. Harvest has, however, commenced
in the past week by the cutting of winter-soven oats,
while yet much grass is uncarried and a conisderable
breadth uncut. Just now the wheat harvest trembles
on the balance which the next ten days' weather may
turn, as the grains, although formed, are still. imma-
ture enough to be made either of goed or inferior
quality.
The crop in a fortnight will be formed, whatever
may he the opportunities of ingathering. The esti-
mate I formed of the crop last season, and which was
published in The Times at over 10,000,000qrs. was
made independently of the gathering, and if unfavour-
able weather supervened the harvest quantity was
unaffected, and probably there is not now a single
large miller in the United Kingdom who, after buying
the ciop, has any doubt that last year's yield was fully
10,000,000qrs. At this moment the season is too back-
ward for a decided estimate to be formed of the yield,
but the " prospects " may be appreciated. Those pro-
spects are not such as to allow any hope of the yield
being over an average of wheat; thus in quantity the
total must be 10 to 15 per cent. short by reason of the de-
ficient breadth, and this deficiency may be increased by
future bad weather before the corn is ripe. Nor do I
think, after seeing the crops in several counties over
hundreds of miles, that with fine weather the yield can
be an average, for whereas while the best fields and
districts only rise to an average promise there are
stretches of thin wheat running ten to twenty miles
where the quantity will be undoubtedly short, however
good may prove the quality of the grain. On the other
hand, most of our lands near the coast, say the Chi-
chester district, Essex below Southend, much of Suf-
folk and Norfolk, and the district between York and
Scarborough, have good healthy, upstanding crOps on
shcrt straw promising fine quality. The Fens, too,
have also a good plenishing of grain this year.
The recent storms have left their mark on barley
and ,:.‘at crops, many of which have gone down, but
wheat has only suffered exceptionally. Ten days of
sunshine would yet well finish off the cereal crops
which, thanks to a fairly favourably blooming period,
should be of a " corny " character—that is, furnish a
hard, good miller's and malster'a sample.. If tile im-
proved cheerfulness of farmers be accepted as an
indication cf harvest, this season will not end in
disappointment. The high price and fair crop of
potatoes last year put much money in growers' pockets,
and over a large acreage this year the promise is gene-
rally good, although, of course, signs of disease now
begin to appear.
Of the crops out of the United Kingdom, from a
journey of over a thousand miles through agricultural
districts in France, Holland, and Germany, from the
opinions expressed by visitors at the recent Inter-
national Show at Hamburg, and from the current
correspondence I am daily receiving from different
countries, I may note that in Europe the season has
been very impartial, making the crops very similar to
those we see at home.

In France, considering Algeria as an agricultural
portion in regard to wheat and barley, the African
fields have reaped a satisfactory harvest, while the
French southern department.. where the crops are
gathered, 1-ave bad but an indifferent yield. In sneak-
ing of France it should be remembered that as York-
shire, Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, and Norfolk have
the casting vote when the total yield in .wheat is
decided, FO in France the north and north-wet regions
grow a third of the total, the north-east, west, and
centre another third, and all the other departments
the remaining third. The math grows but an
eighteenth part.
In Holland and Belgium expectation favours an
average yield.
- -

Italy has had a moderate harvest, other crops being
rather better than that of wheat. In Southern
Europe, including Roumenia, Southern Russia, and
Turkey, wheat and barley are expected to give fair
results. Hungary is not satisfied, and prospects fall
below the good yield of last year. Central Europe,
however, seems favoured, the Swiss plains having
a good crop, and certainly the fields I saw maturing
for harvest this month in the Rhenish provinces
from Coblentz to Mayence and between that last city
and Frankfort, promised a full crop. In Germany,
from the Dutch frontier via Oberhausen to Hamburg,
and back through Hanover to Cologne, rye was a
middling crop, over ripe for cutting, and wheat often
promising three to four quarters per acre. The chief
wheat•exporting districts of the German States have,
however, a backward season like our own, and a
decided estimate cannot be formed of the yield.
America is uneasy over its harvest, and while look-
ing for an average yield from the spring-sown crop,
the main yield of winter-sown wheat is expected to
fall one-fifth below an average. California, after a
doubtful spring, has emerged into a favourable
summer, and all through this month has been saving
a good harvest, called by some correspondent's a
"splendid one."

The early and good harvest of India is now largely
represented by supplies in London and other ports,
and together in India and Persia are expected,
within the next decade, to equal American exports to
the United Kingdom. The Suez Canal has, more-
over, shifted the axis of trade to a remarkable extent.
and England is no longer nearest to the East, as it
was when the Cane route was the only one for InJian
produce. The Continent now forms a half-way re-
ceiving-house and competes with English buyers for
wheat, rice, linseed, &a.
In the front of harvest prices remain very mode-
rate, Etglish and foreign wheat being some 6s, per
quarter below the rates of July, 1882, but our grain
markets are marked by the unusual feature of quota-
tions for delivery after harvest being above those
at preAent accepted, with old stocks filling stills and
granaries.

The Magnet of Monday says :—" The weather dur-
ing the pal week has been somewhat unsettled, and
not so favourable for the crops as could be desired.
The heavy storms have caused damage in some dis-
tricts, but not of a serioul character. The change in
the weather is to be regretted, because of the threat-
ened delay in the harvest. As regards the Hungarian
crops, official advices from Pesch state that the wheat
and rye crops will generally give an average yield.
Barley will be, on the whole, below tlle average, and
oats are expected to produce a good average crop
everywhere."

The Mark Lane Express says :—With a continuation
of cold and rainy weather, the prospects of the harvest
—especially the wheat harvest—bare certainly not
improved. There has not of necessity been much harm
done up to now; but. unless a change to warm, dry
weather should speedily come, the position would soon
assume a serious aspect. Haymaking has been
delayed; but probably there has not been very
much spoiled, as a large proportion of the meadow
grAss yet remains to be cut. The stormy weather has
greatly benefited the root crops, and the late-sown
swedes and turnips show a remarkably good plant.
Hoeing, however, is mill, in arrear. Potato disease
is of course spreading under the circumstances, both
in England and in Ireland ; but it has not yet been
reported to any great extent. Keep being abundant
and the prospect of winter resources being better than
usual have caused stock of all kinds to be again very
dear—in fact, there is more keep than stock to con-
sume it.

The writer of "Our Agricultural Reports" in the
Morning Post says :

Taking the country throughout, it is now certain
that harvest will not be general until the middle of
August, and also that the wheat acreage is not only
sin dler than usual, but also that the diminished
average of the past six or seven years will not
be exceeded. In a Jew parts of Yorkshire and
Lincolnshire some good crops may be gathered in
from some of the good lands, but still for the
whole country the prospect is not promising. Where
land is in good condition and has been well fed with
sheep barley is promising, but even here the yield
will not be over an average. On clays sown after
Bummer fallow there will be a very pocr crop, and
this must of necessity affect the whole yield, so that
here again the crops innst be put down as under
average. Oats will probably be the best corn crop
of the year, and here the average is larger than
usual. The rains will give here a large yield of
straw. Beans and peas generally are good crops;
but for all crops a cessation of the rains is badly
wanted, together with a good spell of hot sunshine,
Potatoes especially want this. Here a magnificent
crop is promised, but the rains have already brought
the disease,
and I hear from many quarters of its
appearance. In my own case I have the disease earlier
than I have ever known it before, but it confines
itself at present to a small piece of American roses.
One or two tubers of the earliest ashleaf potatoes have
also been diseased. There is however, such a good
promise of potatoes this year that any s.vere attack
of disease would be a great calamity.