The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1886-08-07 00:00:00

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SATURDAY, AUGUST 7, 1886.
THE FARMER'S OUTLOOK.

WITILE Cabinet-making and high affairs of
State have been exercising the public thought
and occupying largely the space of the
newspapers, the farmer and all those con-
cerned in the success of his efforts to make
the field fruitful have anxiously watched
the gradual ripening of the grain, alternat-
ing between hopeful anticipations of a profit-
able harvest and gloomy forebodings of yet
another bad season to aggravate the already
sadly too pronounced agricultural depression.
The outlook varies in different districts. In
well-situated neighbourhoods, especially
where the farmer has, by unremitting in.
dustry, practical knowledge, and the em-
ployment of all the resources of science,
supplemented Nature's endeavours in the
best possible way, a most satisfactory issue
of the year's labours is assured. The hay
has been "got" and snugly stacked, and in
some cases sold at capital prices; and corn-
cutting and carrying is proceeding apace.
This in exceptionally advantageous farming
neighbourhoods; for to take the South gen-
erally, the grain harvest has not yet been
extensively started, though with a few days
of bright sunshine the sound of the reaper
would be heard from the Kentish coast to
the Cotswolds, and from the Hampshire
Downs to the vroldlands of Lincolnshire.
In backwack places, however, in the county
of York and other northern localities all the
hay is not, even at this late period, won, and
wheat is still thin in the ear and short of
stalk, with no suspicion of the golden tinge
which tells of the immegliate approach of the
time of the ingathering. On the whole,
the situation is most accurately summed up
by describing 1886 as a backward year, and
whether or not the crops will exceed the
average much depends upon August sun.
The crops all over will be very appreciably
affected by weather considerations. Two or
three weeks back the farmer was loudly
grumbling at the long spell of comparatively
cold drought. Then rain came, but cold
continued, with but a few breaks of more
genial temperature not of sufficient duration
to sensibly assit the agriculturist. At
length. real growing days came, and helped
the lengthening of the straw and the swell-
ing of the ear on. This has been succeeded
in some districts by cloudless skies and hot
sunshine, and their harvest work is in full
swing. Elsewhere similar favourable con-
ditions are badly needed and fervently wished
for. A sweltering August alone can com-
pensate for the much-mourned absence this
season in so many places of the proverbial
"glowing glory of hot July." Everywhere,
indeed, uninterrupted dry weather would
be welcome, whether harvesting has com-
menced, or is yet delayed. In not a few
localities rain is sadly interfering with the
farmers, who would otherwise now be reap-
ing from earliest morn to nightfall. There
is corn Tcat, but unearned, in not a few
neighbourhoods in the south-east and south-
west of England, though a few bright days
may happily alter things, and facilitate the
garnering of the grain. A careful and im-
partial collation of the reports rendered
from the most important agricultnrallcentres
of the Kingdom leads to the conclusion that
the harvest prospects are at least encourag-
ing. Wheat, it seems certain, can hardly
equal the average, even with the most aus-
picious climatic assistance during the weeks
yet available for harvest labour, though a
fair crop will, it is confidently hoped, he
secured from the best lands. Barley is,
generally speaking, distinctly better, and
this season considerably the most remunera-
tive of the cereals. Oats, except in some
districts, will be rather light, but not gen-
erally so much so as to give great ground
for grumbling, and certainly on the whole,
much in advance of what could have been
anticipated a month or six weeks back.
Quality and condition, as regards all the
cereals, are reported—taking a wide guage
of competent examination—as, all thin;.s
considered, saisfactory. This gives us the
opportunity of congratulating the British
grower on a most importast point in his
favcur. American wheat is inferior in
quality, and Hungarian barley is also poor,
as well as deficient in quantity. Good grai a
of British production will thus !command in
the absence, in a measure, of formidable
competition a good market. Another eaus-
for satisfaction to the farmer is that there
appears to be every promise of a thoroughly
good root yield, better than for some years
past, wurzel and turnips looking particularly
well. The wet we have had has been very
beneficial to pasture lands, and a certainty
of an abundance of capital keep is thereby
assured to stock-masters, and this will go far
to compensate the comparative failure of peas
and beans in some parts of the country where
tho drought of early summer was most severely
felt. Then, again, another important branch
of agriculture, the hop growth, is very cheer-
ing. Picking will be general in three weeks'
time in Surrey, and even earlier in parts of
Kent. The young fruit is healthy, and the
bines are free from dirt and vermin,
and long and vigorous in stem. West country
hops also give no excuse for complaint. Ther
will doubtless be some irregularity in all
kinds of crops, both as to extent of protiace
and condition,but altogether the year will, we
confidently hope, prove a- good, if somewhat
bfickward one, for the British farmer. Prices
will be good, because the foreign supply is
sure to be moderated, and there will be a
sufficiency without threat of a glut of British
produce. This, as the farmer well knows,
is far better for him than in the seasons
when everyone is in a position to swell an
overloaded market, and anxious to sell with
prices ruling low. The farmer's prospect,
therefore, whatever professional market
riggers may say, is far from dishearten-
ing, and we are heartily glad to find that
such is the fact.