The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-08-30 00:00:00

THE DEFICIENCY IN THE CROPS.

The Times of Monday published the following letter. It
will be seen from the figures given how very serious will be
the result of the unfavourable weather of the past summer.
The writer estimates that the loss on the corn, potato, and
bean crops alone will amount to at least £43,000,000, to say
nothing of the deficiency in hay, hops, and root crops :

Sir,—The agricultural statistics for Great Britain
having appeared in The Times, and the state of the
corn crops being now stereotyped, a reliable estimate
may be formed of their probable yield, although
there is not yet an acre reaped in any part of the
country.
Adding the Irish areas, the acreage in the 'United
Kingdom under the main crops will be as under :
Wheat, 3,048,000 ;barley, 2,931,000 ; oats, 3,987,000;
potatoes, 1,384,000.
These returns show an impartant decrease in the
areas under wheat and oats, and a considerable
increase, as was to be expected, under barley.
Last year I predicted in The Times that the wheat
area this year would not exceed 3,000,000 acres, and
that the barley area would be proportionately
increased, and this turns out to be nearly the case.
A sunless spring and summer, accompanied by
excessive rains and low temperature up to the present
time, leave no room to dotibt what must be the
inevitable result on our corn crops. If any proof
were wanting to convince the most hopeful that these
crops must be ruinously deficient, it would be the
unprecedented fact that even now, on the eve of
harvest, when the grain should weigh down the straw,
there is scarcely any lodged corn to be seen anywhere
after the most prostrating storms of wind and rain—
s clear proof of the lightness of the heads. I have
therefore very little hesitation in estimating the pro-
bable outcome of each of these crops at one third less
than an average yield. This deficiency, at 50s. an
acre, will amount to a loss of £25,000,000 to the
cultivator.

At an equal rate of loss for the partial failure of
beans, peas, and rye on 780,000 acres, we have an ad-
ditional sum of £3,000,000 to add, making an
aggregate deficiency equr.l to a money loss of
£28,000,000 on our cereal and pulse crops alone.
Taking the next most important crop—potatoes-
-210 an acre will not compensate growers for the
blight that has already come upon it. I have examined
many tubers, and though generally as large as they
usually are a month hence, I find them diseased to the
extent of two-thirds, even on the driest soils. As they
will go worse in the ground they will have to be imme-
diately dug when the weather permits, and the
greater part of them consumed as pigs' food. On the
1,381,000 acres under this crop the loss cannot be less
than £15,000,000.
The hop area for this year is returned at 68,000
acres, or 6,000 less than that of last year; and as the
crop is almost a total failure, the direct loss may
amount to a million and a quarter sterling, as the
out-of-pocket cost of its cultivation averages £2O an
acre.

An enumeration of the agricultural misfortunes of
the year would not be complete without mention of
those sustained on our unexpectedly abundant hay
crop. These have arisen from floods, which sanded
the growing and swept away s great deal of mown
grass, and from unfavourable haymaking weather,
which has materially deteriorated the quality of that
which has been saved. There is still a considerable
quantity of hay out, and some hay grass unmown—
two months beyond the usual time. Taking the loss
at 255. an acre on the areas under artificial and natural
grasses, it will amount to £15,000,000.
Mangolds, turnips, and other root crops are late in
growth and small in size, and everywhere mastered by
weeds, and it will require a long and specially fine
autumn to bring them up to half average crops.
On grass, though abundant, no live stock—except
dairy cows—has this season made profitable returns.
In early spring this year's crops were looked forward
to with sanguine hopes that they would help to redeem
the losses of the previous four years, but now that the
die is cast there appears nothing wanting to complete
the ruin of the poorer class of tenant farmers, espe-
cially in England and Scotland.
From the above data we may conclude that we shall
require two-thirds of our breadstuffs from abroad,
equal to 16,000,000 qrs. of wheat, for the cereal year,
1879-80 and as our harvest must be now nearly a
month behind the usual time of ingathering, and con-
sequently a month's extra consumption have to be
provided for, it is not unlikely we may require a mil-
lion quarters more.
Our foreign imports in 1877-78 were 14,638,000 qrs.
and our home supply 7,921,000 qrs., making together
22,559,000 qrs.
In 1878-9 the foreign imports up to the end of this
month will be 13,900,000 qrs., and the home deliveries
10,180,000, making 24,080,000 quarters, equal to a con-
sumption of 2,000,000 quarters a month.
Prices during this cereal year have been very much
lower than they were in 1877-78; but, notwithstanding,
farmers have been obliged to realize, and they have,
consequently, delivered 2i million quarters more
wheat into our markets than they did in the previous
year: this circumstance likewise affording a proof
that the wheat crop of 1878 was considerably better
than its predecessor, although estimated at two
bushels under an average crop.—l am, Sir, your
obedient servant, THOS, C, SCOTT,
7, Moorgate-street, London, Aug. 23.