The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1858-07-27 00:00:00

itgriculture.

AGRICULTURAL REPORT FOR SOMIRSRTISIfiII.—Ex•
oept dome parts of the north of this county the raiu has
gone round us. We huh about twelve days ago, just
enough to lay tile dust, and, on a fe w mansions since, enough
to wet over the atones. Our pitsturea are now brown,
and fodder scarce. Since mowing, the after-graaa has
grown but little, even on the deeper soils. -The hay-
noks lately made are smell for the quantity of land
mowed. The clover, since cutt,n,;, is very scanty, and
without rain, almost a f.ilure. A few well planted
places of swedes, but more failures ; and the turnips,
when come up, make but little progresa. Mangles,
where well planted and large, bid fair. Our crops of
beans sown in the fall are now being cut, and will be •
full average. The ar.pa planted in the spring are good,
and on chalk Poi!' are • fair crop ; but on poor thin soils,
and late, there will be a considerable deficiency. Early-
sown barleys are good, and will noon be tit for the
scythe, and, iicornice well; but the late-sown will be
short, and, in 801110 loozlities, very deficient. The oats
are thin, but well-topped, and likely to yield well, in
proportion to straw; but not a good crop per acre.
Peas, few put in ; crop now cut, a poor one. A great
many vetches intended for seed have been cut for
fodder, and seed vetches will be very deficient—not
more than one-fourth of last yen-. We have very few
complaints of the wheat, which is generally admitted
to be very promiaing. Some instances of cutting; but
next week, in early districts, there will be a considera-
ble fall before the hook, of fine and well-filled ears.
Apples begin to show on the trees, but by no means an
average crop. The graziers complain that they can
with diffioulty, in many instances, make tirst-oost for fat—
and poor stock is how giving way in prioe—near to what
they should have cost in the spring. Pigs are lower.
The produce of the cows has fallen off, and the high
price of spring corn lessens the demand for them.
Wool rather improves ; Is. and ls. Id. are the prices
mostly realized. Cheese has fallen in price. There is
scarcely anything doing in the corn-market, except in
wheat and flour; the former hie come more freely for-
ward this week from the farmers ; but their enhanced
pretentious have checked business. Flour, from the
scarcity of wider, sells better, at 33a. to 645. per 2801 be.
—July 17.
WILTS.—As regards the crops and prospects of the
farmers and dairymen of tbis year, I beg leave to state
from personal knowledge of matters and things in
general, that the growing crop of wheat will prove,
under good harvest weather, to be larger in yield than
for some years pant, although we have had no bad mid-
tiling crops of that grain for souls few seasons. I have
not the least doubt of this. Barley crops I find
more unequal than I have seen them for • number of
years, probably not such a variation since the noted year
of 1844, when some thousands of acres were planted in
the month of June, and which season you recollect pro-
duced the largest yield of wheat ever known in this
country. Early planted barley, where the condition and
tillage of the soil is good, looks remarkably well and
likely to be good, both as regards quality and yield.
On the contrary, the late planted crops ame'r az if
there was not moisture enough in the land and etalks to
bring the ears to perfection; at the same time, I have
no doubt, where the late storms have fallen, but most
fields of barley will grow up strong enough so as to pro-
duce good seed for another year. I have not seen one
good growing crop. of oats this summer, and so few are
planted that the exuding prices are not allruled by English
growth anywhere. Beans and peas are blighted, and
out up with the late hot dry weather, consequently the
crepe nowhere I have seen are likely to be at all produc-
tive; at the eatue time these crept vary much aocording
to soil and situation. An regards the hay crops, most
of which are stacked or ricked in fird-rate condition,
the light, sandy, early land has produced the best
quality and the greatest weight per acre. Seed or arti-
ficial gram of the varioua sorts has been the hest and the
largest crop for ninny years. Turnips and swedes are
nearly out of the question u yet, save on the chalk bills
where the land is cool, and the farmers plant early for
the sake of summer and autumn feed. Where rain has
fallen in good quantities, there appears to be plenty of
young plants, but I have not men either • field of com-
mon turnips or swedish ones in dila neighbourhood.
Mengel Wurzel is now more forward than I have ever
seen this crop at the Wee period of the year; at the
same time I ant well persuaded if the seed wee placed
inure in the damp eerth and the rows well watered, there
would be lean failures and broken rows than at present.
The general crops of potatoes at ;dement are in rather a
critieal position, thou which are being used being small
and not a very good yield ; consequently, if we do not
have more showers of rain soon, the size and crops
altogether will not be large.—JeAn Arkell.
HAMPSHIRE—Up to the second inst. I fancied the
wheat crop would prove above an average in this neigh-
bourhood, but since then, succeeding very hot weather
and the finest blooming season I over remember, we
have had a much lower temperature and flying showers.
The wheat wan laid by • few hours' gentle rain on Sun-
day night, and the barley too in a way I cannot account
for, which with the continued low temperature and
clouded atmomphere indicates mischief, and to me both
crops present a serious appearance, showing an unhealthy
hue which I am, fearful will develop a large amount of
blight. The oats are not advanced enough to give an
opinion about, but I judge them an average. The spring
pulse crops are almost a failure from want of rain, and
also our swedes and turnips are euffe-ing from want of
moisture, and in many instances are not up. The peta-
-1 toes too are languishing sadly from the same came. I
anticipate the wheat harvest will be general by the cot!
1, of the month. There in much barley that will not pay
: its expenses, and the cropmut be considerably below
, the average.— W. Giants.
" A most destructive insect has lately appeared among
1 the Scotch fir plantations in the north, leaving the
branches ai bare as lithe lesves had been cut off by some
cutting machine. This new pest of the wood* is a ea-
' terpillar about an inch long something like the cabbage
caterpillar, It is furnished • bait of great cutting
power.

LONDON MARKETS.

(BT ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.)

MARK-LANE, MONDAY, JULY M.

Ths supply of wheat at our market to-day
was moderato, Trade dull, at last Monday's
prima

Of barley the supply was tarp, and prices
were sixpence lower.
Oat. a short supply, and slips:we dearer.

METROPOLITAN CATTLE MARKET.

MONDAY. JULY 96.

Our market wail suppliod to•day with four
thousand and four hundred beasts, and twenty
seven thousand sheep.
Trade improved.
Bost, best quality 8 0
Mutton, ditto