The Express.
London, England, 1850-08-12 00:00:00

THE AGRICULTURAL DISTRICTS.

Reaping has now become general throughout the
agricultural districts near the metropolis, the crops
having ripened a good deal durisg the last seven or
eight days. Still the ripening process has been par-
tial, and in very many of the fields portions of the
atop are to be seen in an unripe state while the re-
mainder is fit fur the sickle; and nowhere do we see
that rich golden tint on the wheat crops which was es
strikingly apparent just bef,re the harvest of 11;49.
With rapt et to the probable quantity yielded by the
present wheat crops, great diversity of opinion ex-
ults, arising in part from the difference between the
crops in various districts, but upon the whole there is
not much doubt of there being a full average. The
ears are not well filled in some places, but everywhere
the quantity of straw is very considerable, and upon
good land and well fumed land the crops will be de-
cidedly large. In that fine tract of wheat land from
Witham to Colchester, in Essex, the crops ar• exoel-
lent, and not materially injured by having been
beaten d-wn. So twain on the clay soils of
Middlesex and the parts of Hertfordshire ad-
joining, the wheats are veryood on ell
farms which have received ordinary justice at the
hands of the cultivators. Indeed, several farmers of
the latter district, whose management can only be
deemed moderate, have told us that their wheat crops
are better this year than they have been for several
years past ; and our own observation of their fields
confirm such statements.

There are extensive tracts of strong land which
Wit year carried very indifferent crops of wheat, and
it is very much on the fact of the general goodness of
the crops of the present year, both on strong and light
land, that we have come to the conclusion that there
will be at least a fall average produce of wheat. We
are inclined to think that the quality will ba inferior
to last year's wheat, which is attributable to the want
of sunshine and cloudiness which have been charac-
teristics of the Beaton. With the exception of about
a fortnight or three weeks in Jute, we havehad very
few bright sunny days throughout the summer,
though the temperature has been warm, and the sea-
son altogether not too moist. Indeed, until July
there was quite a deficiency of rain. This absence of
sun has had great influence on the wheat, that grain
requiring a clear atmosp'.ere and strong heat to heir.%
it to great perfection. It is in oar climate that we of
the south have such advantages for wheatgrowirg
over the Scotch farmers. There the wheat crops are
frequently much damaged from want of sun-
shine daring the flowering stages, the fly
in such circumstances attacking the ears;
and the period between the flowering
stage and mature', is usually comparatively cool and
cloudy, which renders the crop uncertain in ripening.
And the same kind of moist and cloudy climate pre-
vail', though, perhaps, in a lesser degree, in the
western counties of England, and consequently
renders them leas favourable for wheat than the
eastern and midland counties. The differences of' rain,
or in the number of rainy days, will not account for
these diversities of climate; for it appears that the
average number of rainy days in Cornwall during :he
months ot June, July, and August, is only twenty
seven, with 7-8 inches ot rain ; while in Middlesex
the number of rainy days amounts to forty-four, with
6-67 inches of rain. It is therefore the greater
cloudiness of Cornwall which determines its character
as a wheat-growing district, as compared with Mid-
chile:, where a brighter sky is prevalent. The
wheat grown in the southern counties is fund to
poisess more vegetative power than that grown in
Scotland, and large quantities of seed wheat are. in
I consequence, annually sent from hence to the north.
Hot the finer varieties soon degenerate in the climate
of Scotland, and require to be kept up by courant
changes of seed. In illustration 'of this influence of
climate on our cultivated crops, more especially on
wheat, it has been justly said, " Wheat can be grown
on a much greater variety of coils in Er gland than in
the north. A farmer from Scotland vie •is with
surprise the fine crops of wheat growing on the fens
in the counties of Lincoln, Suffolk, and Cambridge,
on soil of a peaty loamy nature, by the simple appli-
cation of clay from the sub-oil. In Scotland, on the
contrary, such a descrik titer of soil would be a very
unproductive ore for wheat in the average of seasons.
The most faltering appearance of the crop in summer
would disappoint the huebandman's hopes in autumn;
even a bed of rich clay, reposing on a bed of peaty
stratum, is reckoned fie Scotland] a precarious soil
for wheat." Thus peat has been cleared elf the lead
and floated away is order to uncover a fertile clay
which existed benervh the peat, as at Blair-Drum-
mond in the Carte of Stirling; and in the Orkney
Islands wheat will produce straw in great abundance,
though the grain seldom ripens.
_ _

We refer to these considerations of climate by way
of explaining and illustrating the present state of our
crops in the midland and eastern counties, where we
have this year had a Scotch or a west et England
climate, rather than that which properly belongs
to us.

In Scotland, on the other hand, the earlier part of
the summer was clearer than in the south, and the
result is that timer wheat than usual and an early
harvest are an icipatet. Barley, which dots not
require so much heat or sunshine u wheat., is good in
most of our rural districts ; but oats, from want of rain
in the spring, arc not so well spoken ot, though they
are greatly improved since the rains of July.

We observed on Friday fart, in various parts of
Surrey and Kent, that there are some rather heavy
crops of oats ; and, with comparatively few excep-
tions, the wheat crops are large and heavy. We
heard, however, almost universally complaints that
the, ears are , eee
n_eet well fillta. On 'the high ground,
'e'er+ '..-ioydon, where the land seems to be well
farmed, the wheat is particularly good, and it is but
little beaten down. Here too the clovers looked re-
markably well, though the nse of fo3r horses to a
plough on light land, which we observed in many
, instances, shows that the farmers have yet to learn
the importance of economising horse labour. Near
Tunbridge Well, a very decided case of the potato
disease was shown to us in an open well cultivated
garden on sandy soil; the leaves and stalk, of the
kidney potatoes were quite black and decayed, while
of the later sorts the leaves only had became affected.
In neither case did the tubers appear to be affected,
but the proprietor was having the whole dug up for
present use. In other places, we hear, that the dis-
ease has reappeared, and most local observers concur
in attributing it to atmospheric influence, the blight
on the leaves being usually observed soon alter
thunderstorms.

From -
Berkshire we learn that " much of the wheat
is beaten down, and as the storms came at intervals
and from different directions, it is laid in many ways,
which will render reaping expensive. The ears are
badly set, with deficiencies in the middle. The red
gum is also seen in many fields, and the wheat-midge
in others ; some pieces are strongly blighted, others
very little so. Several fields that were seeded with
Australian and North American wheat, are invariably
blighted. Barley is much beaten dawn ; oats are
promising; winter beans very good; peas but indif-
ferent, and the forward sorts, which were cat during
the late rains, much injured."
In Northamptonshire " the wheat is affected to
some considerable extent with the loss of many ker-
nels on the south side of the ear, occasioned by their
being destroyed by a yellow maggot ; on some ears
eight and ten grains are gone. This will have an
effect on the yield to some extent; yet the crop is
generally good, and bids fair to be bulky of straw.
The quality is not likely to be floe, as the weather
has not been favourable for its ripening kindly."
Some of the crops are laid and broken. In this
county oats are said to be a fair average crap, while
barley on the lighter lands is indifferent, and on the
strong soils, where the crop is large, the quality will
be coarse. Beans and peas are blighted and uneven,
and will not be average crops.
In Norfolk " the corn is much twisted about, and
laid on the fine wheat and barley soil', and there are
rumours of mildew, red maggot, and lice," but the
injury is considered to be extensive. In the marsh
lands and the fens the wheat is lodged, and here the
appearances of blight and mildew are more decided.
During July the fall of rain in West Norfolk was
very heavy, having been between the let and 28th
of the month 5.29 inches, the quantity of rain during
the same period last year having been only 1.55
inches. Here "barley promises to be the best crop
of the year, but the light land districts never recovered
the effects of the long drought in June. Beans and
peas are improved, but will not be an average orop;
the same may be said of oats." Turnips promise well,
sad "marigold wurzel promises a heavier crop than
has been known for many years." Potatoes were
partially affected by the blight even in July. There
is said to be throughout Norfolk a barely average