The Express.
London, England, 1850-07-08 00:00:00

AGRICULTURAL PROSPECTS.

So mesh of the comtrt and prosperity of the com-
munity depends upon an abundant supply of tol,
and, uetwithstaneing our parts arc row open to re-
ceire find from all parts of the world, so m::rh
abundauce or scarcity, contingent upon the perdue- of
our own soil, that Vie state or the crops is at all tiro- is
a subj‘ct of deep interest. And cever was that sub
;act of more interest than at present. Most of the im-
partation. of wheat which hare taken place dude,:
the last twavemotths, are believed to have ye.ovri
anythicg but profitable to the importers, while th
crops of Amettes,noet growing, arc reported defieicet,
and the rye crop of Nortlurn Europe is sometttirg
approachirg to a failure. To importation. thcrefere,
it is probable we shall not be isdeleed for cheap grain
during the ensuing year.
I: is satis'actory thererze to find that the promises
which the season, with very little variation, has Si: e
the autumn held out, are likely to be amply &filled.
This is especielly the case with the wheat, of crops
the limit important. During the last three we.ka of
June the weather has proved eminently favourable for
tee growing wheat crops. Throughout the spring the
plant, though vigorous and even, was backward, and a
late ham rt woe more than probable, and a late harvest
is seldom a good one. Then came a good deal of rain,
followed by warm and forcing weatt er, so that the
straw grew rank and luxuriant, though w,ak, art
likely to be laid should wet cr wind prevail ; and the
higher the cultivation the more imminent was the
danger on this point. A month aeo a good deal cf
uneasiness was felt in this respect. The subsequent
weather has, however, set .11 to rights, for while there
has been ray hot, tarring earshine, there has been at
the same time a bearing atmosphere, u-der the influ-
ence of which the wheat has become straight, strong,
and capable of resisting any ordinary amount of wet
or windy weather, and a full plant is deice universal,
the exceptions bcirg only on badly-farmed land.
The Farmer's Magazine for July, in its agricultural
report for the preceding month, says that since the
lilth of Jane " the atmosple re hes been Exceedingly
hot and forcing, and the wheats, including all sprits);
cern [ee. wheat]. have been greatly benefited; . .. from
nearly all parte of the kingdom accounts agree in
stating that a full average crop may be saf ly calcu-
lated upon..... Present appearances are decidedly in
favour of a good yield." Whcat has now come into
ear, and much of it is blooming, the ear being d- -
Madly lager and fuller than cn average; and local
reports entirely corroborate this hopeful view.
In Leicestershire—not a remarkably well-farmed
county—it is said that never was there " less com-
plaints of the wheat, as regards disease or casualty,
since the time of sowing, than in this season." Some
of the fields are said to exhibit a thin plant. Red it is
said in that county " not to have filled up b
is tillering
nearly so much as in some seasons." The colour, how-
ever, said to be good, and, despite all drawbacks,
the promise is that of a full average.
Some heavy thunder showers eccarred in Berkshire
on the 26th of Jane, which partially laid some of the
wheat, to which time it "had been toieg en remark-
ably well, getting up to a level and good head." In
Surrey the wheat in many places came into err
on the 12th of June, and was observed to be in flower
on the 24th. Wheat ears were also found in Berk-
shire on the 12th ; and an observant farmer in East
Lothian states that he first remarked the errs to be
bursting forth on the 9th of Jane ; last year, on the
same farm, they were first seen on the 13. h of June,
and two years ago on the 6th of the same month.
Assuming these comparative dates to indicate the
relative forwardness of the present season, it seems
that the harvest will not be a late one.
In Cambridgeshire the crops are reported, "with
some exceptions fine—in many cases quite superb."
Much of the wheat and barley bid fair at one time to
be too bulky, but the very dry weather of the last
fortnight has done great service in correcting the
exuberance of straw. . . . For the generality of
soils a dry June is always regarded as favourable for
a yield of corn, and, barring some failing plants on the
lighter land fen districts, the crop of wheat must be
fine.

From Scotland the accounts are equally, perhaps
more, favourable. From Mid-Lothian we hear that
the " bracing atmlThere" of June has had a harden-
ing effect upon the crepe, which will be most benefi-
cial, and " tend to check the rank development of
stem into whi,l many high-farmed fields were run-
ning." It is said " the autumn-sown wheat is now
(Ist of July) generally fully out in ear, and some
portion °Las spring-sown is just bursting. . . .