The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-06-11 00:00:00

HARVEST PROSPECTS.

Mr. Thomas C. Scott, of Knaphill Farm, Surrey,
has sent the following letter for publication
The following conchi.lons may now be arrived at as the
result of the peculiarities of the weather of this seas. :-
1. That we shall have a good crop of wheat notwithstand-
ing the severe ravages of the wire • worm and slug, because
the Need was cot 111 on a tine tilth, and the plant has since
been kept ill check and prevented becoming "winter proud"
by a severe winter and an flageolet spriug, and this slow
growth has had the effect of stiffening the straw, which
guarantees the crop against "lodging" at a future stage, and
the rainless summer we have had up to the present time has
been equally favourable, as such weather almost invariably
results in a good wheat crop.
2. We shall have alight crop of barley, because It has been
parched by the sun and ecourged by the wire-worm, mod no
amount of r..in cars now reundy its stunted growth and
deficiency of plants.
3. From the same causes oats will be a light crop, but not
to the same extent as barley.
4 Winter beans hare a miserable appearance, aristmi from
the long continuance of bleak and wet weather in winter,
which they can selloin stand on the heavy soils on which
they are usually planted, and in many districts they are pre-
maturely ill bloom, although not a foot long ; spring beans
look a shade better, and peas also, although the latter were
early much Injured in the loaf by a light fawn-coloured beetle-
lookirg insect, which no one seems to know much about. All
these cereal and pulse crops will come much sootier to the
sickle than was anticipated six weeks ago, on account of pre-
mature ripening.

5. /lay will athe lightest crop within my memory, because
there is no bottom grass anywhere. Artificial grasses and
clovers look better, and sainfein and Liverne in the cal-
careous districts, where they are extensively grown, I iok
extremely green and luxuriaut : but much of these crops are
now being sacrificed for the maintenance of live stock ou
bare pastures.
0 Mangelwurzel will be a fair, if not a heavy crop, as it
was got in in superb order, bus come up very well, not-
withstandieg the drought, and luxuriates in a dry summer
mid sunshine. Swedes anti turnips are uncertain, he cause,
alth, ugh they were and are still being got le in line order,
they have already been mice or twice filet pt clean away by,
and are still at the mercy of, the pestilential fly hi the
absence of abundance of rain and soft warm weather. I
have in vain dotted the drills, after sowing the seed, with
guano, urban manure, or night soil, nail, ashes, drc , for I
still see these destructive insects revelling lii myria is among
the most pungent manures. Where the turhiv area is large
enough to pay for a water-drill, I would recommend its UEd,
as I never knew it fall to secure a crop at the first sowing,
even on the thin corn brash Mils at North Wilts, which
allerd a severe test. mid where I have used IV extensively. In
the same district I successfugy used a revolving tun, the
Invention of a working man, but it was tint eticouraiged, and
has since been lost sight of. This year of bisects suggests the
policy of encouraging such inventions.

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7. Potatoes, although several times touched by late spring
frosts, do Lot appear permanently injured, and look will
generally; and if the drought should continue, and cause a
light crop, it will likely be of superior quality. As an experi-
ment I have this }ear reversed the ustod practice, and planted
some potatoes on the bare earth, covering them with manure
and then a 11, and they look infinitely better than those
planted on the manure. In less parching weather I do not
think this would be the case, nor do I think the quality will
be so good, as they are more likely to taste earthy.
8. Lean cattle ant sheep will be cheap for a time, became
there is no feed for them, and the breeders ate forced to
Sell hitt beef and mutton will be dear, because all winter.
fed stock is now disposed of, and graz ng stock will have to
be fattened with excessive quantities of ,oilcake and other ex-
pensive artificial food, to make up for the deliaiency of
grass. Finally, there will be some compensation for these
drawbacks by the economy of labour in cultivating the laud
during peculiarly favourable weather, anti there will not, or
ought not to be, a living weed left in the country.
•••- • - -

These observations are the result of a contlimons detailed
Inspection of farms in all tha home and some of the midland
counties from last autumn up to the present time.