The Express.
London, England, 1853-11-11 00:00:00

TO TIM IDITOZ 01 TIM IMPIOUS.

8114—A fortnight'sflnewsa titer has greatly im-
proved the prospeets of the agriculturist, and has much
allayed the feelings of alarm with which many penons had
begun to regard the advancing prices of corn. True it is,
the autumn hu bees unpropitious. Constant nine, with
scarcely two consecutive days interval, seemed to threaten
• repetition of the anion and winter of 1852-8, when
the wheat sowing season was so generally lost, form-
ing the nuns of so many subsequent rural disasters. A
wet and late h t followed, so much so, that considerable
quantities of corn remained in the fields, ucesrried, almost,
or quite down to November. Seldom before were the
arable lands of t►is country ea full of weeds, the work of
cleaning land having teen one of nest-to-impossible per-
formanoe during the past summer. No wonder that
gloomy forebodings took poeseuion of the agricultural
mind. And though wealthy farmers who had agood stock of
old wheat, have made ►arge profits during this autumn,
the average (semen, by far tne majority, will flail no suf-
ficient compensation for their bad crops is the high
prices which now prevail. There are m iny farms on
the heavy soils where enough wheat has not ►een grown to
seed the land for nest year's harvest, and where the seed
wheat has been bought at tea shillings • bushel. The oc-
currence of another lost wheat season would have proved
fatal to many weak farmers. Naw, however, there appears
to be a fur prospnt that the whole of the wheat land of
the country will be well planted, and so far the first step
towards an abundant harvest in 18.51 secured. It is agreed
on all hands that a larger stock than usual of old wheat is
held by the farmers, and with an improving season much
of the alarm for the future, which se greatly added to the
enhancement of prices, will speedily pass away. ,Though
from the actual deficieecy of this year's crop of wheat, we
are not likely to have low or even moderate prices before
the nest harvest, the many experienced obse are cal-
culating that prices have reached their highest point, sad
that food will probably be somewhat cheaper than it has
recently been. . .

We are now, therefore, in a position to review with calm-
ness and discrimination the effects of the extraordinary
succession of wet weather by which this country, since the
middle of the month of August 1952, has been visited.
Grievous and perplexing as it has proved to all occupiers of
land, it is impossible not to see that their adversity has not
been useless. Never before did so much activity prevail,
even in the wheat.sowing season, or so much seed deposited
in the ground under so many difficulties. Whcn before was
the contrast between drained and unirained land so strongly
exemplified? What but such a wet year as the past could
have convinced large classes of farmers of the wisdom of
keeping more live stock, and the danger of relying too
exclusively on grain growing ? What else could have de-
monstrated the fatal consequences of retaining under actual
culture more arable laud than the force of the occupier's
farm can subdue in an unfavourable onion ? Such are

e of the lessons read to the tenants by the late bad sea-

son ; and though inch lessons will in many instances prove
severe, they will be ultimately beneficial; they will teach
order, promptitude, energy, and self-reliance, by which the
farmer' and the public will be alike gaineu.
Landowners, too, have had their lesson from
the tame quarter. They Lave learnt, or should
have learnt, that their tenants cannot make bricks without
straw, that unless the necessary permanent outlays be made
by or ter the landlord the tenant cannot pay his rent, that
the landlord must put his own shoulder to the wheel and
do his part in the general work of improvement.
The great difficulty, however, the landowners have to
encounter arises from the terms on which they hold their
estate!. They are for the most part tenants for life only ;
the bulk of their property passes under settlements to the
eldest sons,and neither prudence nor regard for the interests
of their younger children justifies the outlay of their sav-
ings or their other means in the permanent Improvement
of their settled estates. Hence it is that we see so much
unimproved land in all directions.

Vs:ious attempts have been made by the legislature to
correct or palliate this evil ; powers have been given to the
owners of settled land to charge their property with money
raised for its improvement,but the practical difficulties have
been such that these powers have proved mere nullities.
The money authorised to be expended must be repaid by pe-
riodical instalments for s given number of years,and that farm
of investment cffen little attraction to ordinary capitalists.
Then loans have been granted by the Treasury for drainage
improvements; bat though the sam granted in the aggre-
gate is large, it is a mere bagatelle when compared with the
extent of settled land required. to be drained. Besides
numerous other permanent improvements are required.
The true remedy seems to be, such a combination of private
enterprise, with power to bind settled properties, es we
have nee applied to promote facilities of transit—as in the
instant* of railways ; some means by which capital can be
attracted to the improvement of settled land, in forms
acceptable to capitalists and not burdensome to the land-
owners. A MIDLAND COUNTIES FARMER.