The Sun.
London, England, 1865-08-17 00:00:00

The Weather and Crops.

PERTHSHIRE.—There was not much done to harvesting
last week, but with favourable weather there will be a good
deal of cutting this week. Barley, where reaped, is under
an average, but looks better in stook than was expected.
As a whole, however, it is light. Oats, excepting where
after lea or on superior soils, is to be a light in-gathering.
Wheat is a good crop, and will be a fine sample. There
have not been so many sales of growing crops this year as
formerly. Prices have been various, and there is no doubt
but the expected deficiency in straw has tended to raise
the rate. The average for oats seems to be about is per
pole, and about 9id. for barley. The potato disease has
shown itself unmistakeably on the haulms or shaws of
the potato crop, and the recent moisture may have a ten-
dency to develope the blight. As yet it has not affected
the tubers.

STIRLINGSIFIRE.—The state of the crops has, from the
very heavy rains which have fallen for some days past, been
by no means satisfactory, a good deal of the wheat and
other fields having been laid. Yesterday an immense
quantity of heavy rain fell, accompanied by hail showers
and some peals of thunder and lightning, which continued
in the afternoon.

KELso.—For the last few days the weather in this dis-
trict has been very unsettled. Rain began to fall heavily
on Friday, and since then it has continued with little or
no intermission, very copious showers having occurred on
the evenings of Saturday and Sunday, as well as yesterday
morning and afternoon. Harvest operations, which were
expected to be general yesterday, have in consequence been
somewhat retarded ; while in many fields the grain crops
have been so laid by the excessive moisture as to make
their reaping a work of considerable difficulty. Already a
great many fields have been cut, principally in low-lying
localities, and on the haugh-lands of the Tweed ; but,
should more favourable weather not set in soon, fears are
entertained that " sprouting" may begin among the
stooks. While the rain has been unwelcome to the cereal
crops, it has had a beneficial effect upon turnips and pas-
tures, both of which have greatly improved within the last
10 days.
KELSO.-SHEARERS' HIRING MARKETS.—A shearers'
hiring market was held yesterday morning. The attend-
ance of hands seeking employment was limited, nearly the
whole of the large bodies of Irish reapers who poured into
town last week having previously secured places. The
demand being greater than the supply all were readily
engaged, at wages ruling from IGs. to 18s. per week.

THE HARVEST AND THE CROPS IN YORKSHIRE.—During
the summer there has been much speculation and much
difference of opinion upon the probable results of the pre-
sent harvest, and the effect which two remarkably dry
seasons would produce. The questions are now settled
with tolerable certainty, and so far as the produce of the
land is concerned, the farmer can form a pretty correct
idea of his position to face the winter ; the harvest now
being general, and with a continuance of fine weather, it
will be short, for all the corn is ripe together. The wheat
crop, owing to the early ploughings of the clover and bad
turnip lands last autumn, is somewhat wider than usual.
On strong, deep-soiled land there is no fault to be found
with it, but on wold lands, light sand, and peats, it is short
in the straw, and light on the ground and in the ear. The
oat crop has suffered very greatly from the droughty sea-
son, and it is generally light in the ear and very short in
the straw. This grain is also somewhat affected by disease.
The amount of both corn and fodder for the winter will
be considerably below the average, but it is thought the
quantity of the grain will be tolerably good. The barley
crop is decidedly the best. The straw is shortest, but
healthy, and it is generally believed there will be an aver-
age yield of good quality. So far as our correspondent has
observed the disease which has attacked the wheat and
oat crop has not damaged the barley. Rye is only sparingly
grown, and the crops are said to be very good. The crop
was ripe and cut before the wheat disease became of much
moment. The green crops are a general failure.

ANOTHER STRIKE AT MESSRS. CUBITTS'.—A large
number of labourers and excavators are employed
by Messrs. Cubitts' firm on work connected with the vari-
ous contracts they have now in hand, to whom they have
been paying the sum of 44d. per hour, the hours of work-
ing being the same as those of the skilful mechanics, 564
hours per week, making the wages of these labourers .fl
ls. 21d. per week. Last week a memorial was sent to the
firm from the labourers and excavators, requesting that
their wages should be advanced 4d. per hour, or from 44d.
to sd. per hour. The firm refused to give the advance of
4d., but offered to give the men id. per hour advance.
This offer having been considered by tho men they refused
it, and the firm having declined to pay the /d. the whole of
the labourers and excavators employed at the Liverpool-
street railway station struck work yesterday. The same
class of men employed at all the other works of the firm
have given notice that they intend adopting the same
course unless the id. advance is at once conceded. It is
probable, therefore, that before the end of the week about
1,000 men employed by the firm will be on strike. Printed
bills have been issued by the men "to all labourers and
excavators," setting forth the step they have taken, and
requesting them to keep away from Messrs. Cubitts' works
until the dispute is settled.
HARROGATE.—After an unusually dull early sea-
son, Harrogate is now well filled with fashionable com-
pany. Besides the Earl of Warwick, the Earl of Kenmare,
and other noblemen, the influx of aristocratic and fashion-
able visitors has been large within the last few days. The
nightly concerts of the Cheltenham Rooms—a very good
index of the state of this fashionable watering-place—were
seldom better attended than they have been during the
past fortnight.