The Sun.
London, England, 1852-09-04 00:00:00

LO.NDON., SLITURDAY. SEPTEMBBR 4, 1852.

The harvest of 1852 is likely to prove, in many
parts of the United Kingdom, not so satisfactory as
was at one period anticipated. The reason of this has
become already sufficiently apparent. It will be
remembered that before the commencement of August
the crops bore every appearance (according to intel-
ligence received from various quarters) of being in
quantity more plentiful and in quality more excellent
than had been known for several years—tilee grain at
that petiod rapidly approaching a state of maturity.
Unfortunately, as events have turned out, it appears
now to have been approaching maturity a great deal
too fast under the circumstances. Everything indi-
cated at the time that fine weather had settled in for
the autumnal season. Farmers began to congratulate
themselves for once that "things were going to take a
turn," as the homely phrase is, and at precisely
the moment when their anticipations were
brightest they were doomed to the severest disap-
pointment. There settled down upon the harvest
fields, in quick succession, a throng of the most un-
lucky elemental influences—influences which, in too
many cases, have proved to be of the most detrimental
and pernicious character. First of all, the ripening
of the wheat-crop, as already indicated, was " too
rapid "—in several testances almost beyond prece-
dent. The result of this evil obviously was that the
ears were filled but indifferently where the ripeness
was premature. Then came black blight in some few
ditections, but still in no case, we believe, sufficient to
have materially deteriorated the quality, or con-
siderably diminished the quantity, of the whole
cereal produce of the United Kingdom. Where-
upon, however, came down upon the corn-
fields the worst misfortune
et bad yet
befallen them this year—the heaviest calamity that
at so late a period of the summercould have been anti-
cipated—the entire alteration in the weather. Sun-
shine disappeared with the closing days of July, and
with August
came rain cf the heaviest and wind of
the highest description. The wheat, besides being
beaten abott until the stalks were broken and the
flow of sap thereby interrupted, had to some extent
the ripe grains shaken out and therefore lost be.
yond redemption. Added to all which, in conse-
quence of the heavy moisture accompanied with a
very sultry atmosphere, sprouting commenced in the
ears before the crops could be cut, and in this
manner the excellence of the quality, which
it was still hoped woull in some measure
compensate for the dimitliticn in the quan-
tity, was withheld in the southern counties
from much of the corn as well as barley. The account
here given is gloomy enough, it must be admitted,
beat it is gloomy only because coming to the public
after so rceny br iisnt cod confident expectations.
The actual crops will be indifferenl' when compared
with those which were in Jane, and until the lest
veoi. in July, anticipated. Bat, viewed apart from
the hop thus ecerished by the more sanguine in
regard to tiee harvest of 1852, we still believe that
they
Will be found in the majority of instances above
the average both in resie.ct to the excellence of the
grain and its abundance.
It must be borne in
recollection, moreover, in con-
nexion es ith the f
v in
oregoingstatementl that the deterio-
ration spoken
consequence of the stormy weather
of August, furtunateY'd l oes not appear to have extended
very far northwards. Our good fellow-couneryrnen
the agriculturists are, nevertheless—of course—be-
ginning to grumble very audibly. They declare
themzelves even now to be fairly disheartened. They
dou ,c see what are to be the results of the black
the premature ripening,
blight,
the beating out of
the grain by the wind, and the sprouting
in the ear
produced by tle e
rainy weather. Everything is evi-
dently, according to them, going to "rack and
ruin"--the rack rent 3 ultimately, of course, into the
bargain. Never were, say they, such calamities '
store for any claw as those menifestly preparing to
descend in " one fon swoop" upon the unlucky heads
of the agriculturists. a poor frc zen. out
gardeners, familiar to family parties looking
at the snow fall from the most comfortable
side of the parlour-,einelows about the time of
Christman, were nothing
agriculturists. to our brother-Citizens the
The last-mentioned are evidently
looking (throughtut the whole of their lachrymose
lamentations) to their " levir d friends" the Protec-
tionists, in the dew nouse-ef'
N Commons. Like PAUL
BeDFORD in The Willow Copse, they are prepared at
any emergency to "slope after the brown" of a
moderate fixed duty, say of seven, or even " the ridi-
culously small amount" of five shillings. In all of
this, they prove themselves at least to be gentlemen
gifted with very comprehensive imaginations. They