The Sun.
London, England, 1864-08-27 00:00:00

The Harvest.

CAMRRIDGESIIIRE.—The harvest has been vigc.
rousiy prosecuted daring the week in this county,
although in some cases it has been delayed by occa-
sional showers. The scarcity of labour has caused
wages in a few instances to run high. Wheat, bar-
ley, and oats will be about an average around Wis-
beck, and the crops generally have borne the
drought better than could have been expected. Pota-
toes are rather small ; the yield, however, is plenti-
ful, and there are no signs of disease at present. In
the fens around Whittlesey the corn crops will not
be equal to those of last year either in quality or
quantity. Mildew has already been found to some
extent. The bean crops are nearly destroyed by the
fly ; in some cases they are scarcely worth cutting,
and roots, such as wurtzel and turnips, are almost
gone, like the beans. The want of rain is severely
felt.

LINCOLNSHIRE.—Great progress has Leen made
with the harvest in this extensive agricultural dis-
trict during the past week, the weather having
been highly favourable. There have been splendid
showers, which have proved very acceptable to the
root crops. In some instances leading has been in.
terrupted by the rain, but nothing of any imports,
ante. In the neighbourhood of Long Sutton the
white corn is nearly all secured, and in very good
condition. The wheat crop is generally pronounced
of good 'polity, and the yield will be over an
average. The drought has been severely felt around
Alford, and owing to the scarcity of water and
grass farmers have been obliged to fodder their
cattle. The various crops of grain i❑ this vicinity
will in most cases be an average one, and
the quality good. In the Trent•side district
much wheat has been cut rather green, and will
have to remain a few days in stack. Though the
crops on the rich alluvial top land will probably be
about an average, there is a sad deficiency on light
poor soils. The flax crops promise a good yield of
linseed, and the flax itself is good in quality and a
fair length. The fine rains of the week have much
revived the pastures and root crops. Potatoes will,
however, be comparatively small, and the yield eon.
siderably below that of last year. Turnips are a
thorough failure; onions, which promised well at
one time, will be small and high in price. In the
Isle of Axholme the chief products, wheat and
potatoes, will be much below an average.
WORKSOP AND THE NEIGHBOURHOOD.—The
great bulk of the crops are already secured in
excellent condition in the neighbourhood of Work-
sop. The wheat yields better than expected, but is
not equal to last year. Barley is more than an ave.
rage crop, and secured in prime condition. Oats
are light. The beautiful and refreshing rain on
Sunday morning will prove of immense value to
reddish and the turnip crops, which are very poor.
One singular feature in the turnip crop of this
season, is that on the light sandy soils it looks the
most healthy. At Mr Wilmot's, Prospect-hill farm
(a light blown-away sand), both swedes and white
turnips are looking excellent, and a field on the
adjoining farm of Mr A. Brodhurst, is also well
tilled in with swede turnips; while on strong land
and limestone, in many instances, there are not
more than one third of a crop.
DRIFFIELD.—Reaping is rapidly progressing in
every direction. Crops in this distirct are generally
very good, and wheat especially so; and in many
instances equal to those of last year. Though wheat
in the general run may be pronounced thin on the
ground, there are instances of splendid flats with
ears full of large grain, and the yield will be very
prolific. Barley is invariably a good crop, and has
ripened regularly and kindly. It looks admirable
everywhere. Oats, too, are good, and of a fair
growth, but they have not ripened so early nor so
regularly as barley. It is a long time since there
were such good crops of peas—in fact, they were
never known to be better, being full of corn and
well ripened. Beans in most cases are less favour-
able. They are short and only moderately corned.
They have suffered much from drought and insects.
The potato fields, which were so luxuriant and pro-
mising in spring, have been much deteriorated and
retarded in growth by severe frosts and dry weather.
Though the roots are small they are of excellent
quality and free from disease. Turnips in many places
have suffered severely from drought and the fly.
The hay crop has been a short one, and this descrip-
tion of fodder is likely to become scarce and reach
very high prices. Pastures are very bare, and the
seed fields are completely burnt up, and it is sur-
prising how the sheep manage to exist with such
scanty food. Returning to a notice of the cereal
crops, it may be observed that it is a long time since
they were so little injured by wind or rain, and,
except in very few instances, they stand straight on
ground. During the last few weeks of warm sunny
weather there has been a magical change in the
wheat crops, which have put on that beautiful golden
tinge which invariably indicates their excellent
quality. This is remarkably the case between Drif-
field and the sea ; and it is somewhat singular that
near the coast, where, in other years the crops are
generally most backward, there are this season some
magnificent fields of wheat, end we never recollect
to have seen finer than those of Mr. J. Kingston,
of Beesingby, some of his wheat and oats
standing five feet high. Near the sea are also
some flourishing fields of turnips. Tho present
state of the crops affords a favourable opportunity
for using the reaping machines, which have been
much in request ire this neighbourhood. Great
numbers of harvesters presented themselves at our
two last markets, and the bulk of them found em-
ployment. In any anticipated deficiency of the
yield of the present harvest it would be fully met
by the large quanties of old wheat in store, which
may be stated on the best authority was never
known to be so large. Since Sunday this district
has been visited by several refreshing showers o'
rain.

SIGGLESTHORNE.—Most of the wheat is now
down, as well as a great part of the barley. Farmers
intended starting to lead the wheat in on Monday,
but the rains of Sunday prevented them. Mr Moore,
of Goahill, and Mr Taylor, of Seaton, secured some
wheat on Friday and Saturday, and on Tuesday
Messrs. Wright, Taylor, and Bullock were very
busy, notwithstanding the showers. At Catwick
and Leven much progress has been made, there
being scarcely a farmstead where there are not stacks
of the newly-garnered grain.
TRENTSIDE.—There has been brilliant weather
for reaping the corn, cloudless and dewless, and
nearly all was cut by Saturday last. Wheat on
the warp land is almost, if not fully, an average,
but on the lighter soils of the district there will
be a deficiency. There were fine rains on Saturday
night and Sunday last, which have considerably im-
proved the appearance of the pastures, and will
prove beneficial to the root crops. Potatoes are
small for the season, and should an excess of rain
fall it will probably induce disease. The flax crops
are good. Turnips here, as elsewhere, are a failure.
Harvest wages have been in accordance with the
price of corn and the quantity of produce. The
usual prices bring lOs to 12s per acre for mowing.
The reaping machine is as yet but little used on the
Trentside.
NOTTINGHAMSHIRE—Since last week the weather
has been broken. On Sunday morning we had a
heavy thunderstorm and several hours of refreshing
rain followed. Since then there have been several
showers. In many parts of the county farmers have
secured the whole of their corn crops, and on good
heavy lands the yield of wheat w ill be nearly an
average. %Hey is the beat. crop of the season.
Generally the plant has done well, and the yield
will reach a full average. Oats are variedly spoken
of, but altogether the yield is very light. Beans
thin. Peas are a fair crop, Potatoes are sound
and of good quality, but small in size. Turnips have
mostly proved a failure; the early swedes promise
the best. Marigolds are a very poor crop.--Hall
Packet.

Mr E. T. Smith announces the production of
" Mazeppa," with a powerful caste, at Astley's,
early in September; and in order to give a novel effect to its
representation, he has engaged an American lady, Miss
Adah Isaacs Menken, to enact the part of Mazeppa, which
iS usually played by a Yuan. Miss Menken is a bold, dash-
ing equestrienne, and, it is said, performs all the " runs" (as
they are technically termed) with surprising courage and
sang fi old. As she is reputed to be a very handsome and
graceful woman, we should not be surprised to find the Lady
Nazona a theatrical sensation of neat season,--.Lea

FRENCH DERBY FOR 186 G.—The engage'
merits for tho Great Paris Prize, 1866, have just beenmade, and number 94 horses against 83 in 1863, 126 .
1861, and 112 in 1805. The winning of that event by 3
French horse this year appears ta have stimulated th°,
owners racehorses in France, for of those now entered
53 are French and 4i only English, while in previous
years the r; portion of English to French was as two