The Sun.
London, England, 1865-08-22 00:00:00

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Agricultural Prospects.

At the opening of the week some showers fell, but after
11 a.m. it was fine and sunny. In the morning of Mon-
day, at 7 30 to 8 30, some heavy rain fell ; it then cleared
up until 4 p.m., when very heavy showers were experi-
enced. Harvest work was stopped. Tuesday was a very
wet day, and this appeared to be general. On travelling
through Bent most of the wheat was found to be cut, but
very littled carried. The colour of the straw and ears was
much bet ter than might have been expected, and a few
dry days would enable the farmers to make a finish of this
grain ; not so, however, with barley, which was generally
in the swathe, and, as the rain continued to fall, it was be-
coming black in the straw, and no weather could much im-
prove it. The malting properties must be materially gone
of a great part of it, and there will consequently be a
small portion of fine quality. The beans are nearly all in
the fields yet, but cut, and not taking much harm. Our
advices on that day were as follows :—From Surrey: " We
have bad weather for the harvest now. Sunday was very
fine ; yesterday showery ; to-day wet, windy, and boisterous.
One-twentieth of our wheat crop is in the barn in beautiful
condition, heavy, and fit for immediate thrashing ; one-
twentieth stacked in ricks, also in good order ; the re-
mainder are out in the fields, now soaking in wet ; but
if to-morrow should be a fine sunny day, with a brisk wind,
there will not be much harm done. There is some mischief
already, but not much ; I mean as to its growing. It is a
most critical time just at the present, but we cannot tell
the result." From the West Riding of Yorkshire: "Since
last week the weather has been variable, with showers
daily, and harvest-work has proceeded slowly. During last
night and early this morning heavy rain has fallen, as our
river and smaller streams show ; but I trust no great harm is
yet done, though the crops are now in a critical position and
continued wet would be serious, as but little is secured in
this locality. Turnips and potatoes will no doubt be much
benefited by the rain. With a change of wind to the west,
we have better weather since noon, but it yet looks quite
unsettled." From the East Riding: " The weather has been
very changeable ; a good deal of rain has fallen, which
haJ retarded harvest, and but little progress has been made
with field-work. To-day it rains heavily, and farmers begin
really to evince much uneasiness about the outstanding
corn, as little or nothing is yet housed in this district."
From Suffolk: "Another wet day has caused our farmers
much uneasiness for both their wheat and barley crops, and
we regret to add, the damage by sprouting already done is
wide-spread and very extensive." The weather on Wed-
nesday was tolerably fine up to 3 30 p.m., when a smartish
shower fell. From the west coast of Scotland : "Wo have
had heavy rain since the beginning of this week." From
the east coast : •" The weather has been broken and very
wet since last week. Cutting has commenced, but no pro-
gress made ; a continuance of such weather as we have ex-
perienced lately must prove disastrous." From Surrey,
again : " Weather fine this morning, wind N.W. and a
good brisk breeze up at noon ; since then the wind has
veered round to the W. and S. of W., and brought with it
heavy clouds and some rain." On Thursday the morning
was fine up to 1 30 p.m., then a smart shower fell, and it
was showery at times the remainder of the afternoon. From
Surrey, again : "I fear we are in a mess hero—wet, wet,
wet, day after day, is bad; the early morning was the same
as yesterday, bright and find, but now, near noon, the clouds
are coming, and it looks bad again ; further west it is not
quite so bad, and wo may hope a favourable change will
soon take place." Again, from the same party, later in the
day : "After I wrote you we had a very brisk wind for a
time, which very much dried the wheat, but still the
weather is unsettled, and mischief to some extent. has been
done." From the eastern part of Berkshire it was remarked :
" There is a considerable breadth of wheat still in the fields,
and should this showery weather continue it will soon
sprout; on the contrary, should the weather take up, be-
yond the outside corns of the sheaves being a little stained,
no great damage has been done. The same remark applies
to barley." From Suffolk, the same day, it was remarked:
"We have a continuance of weather most unfavourable
for progress with harvest. During the week some wheat
has been cut in the intervals of fine, but all of this must
have gone to the stack in moderate condition, and is not
likely to be fit for thrashing for some time. The quantity
of rain has been considerable, and during Tuesday was
heavy and continuous, and the outstanding crop must show
some injury. With barley cutting but little progress has
been made, and the quality generally has suffered from the
bad weather." On Friday the day opened fine, and there
was a brisk breeze up to 2 p.m., when a heavy shower fell.
From Devonshire :—" After several showery days we have
had three days of dry weather, and are hopeful of the rest
of the harvest being secured. The reports of the crop are
very various. Farmers on light soils complain heavily of
their crops, whilst those on heavy laud say their crop of
wheat is very fine." From Suffolk, near the coast :—"We
can report no improvement in the weather, for since our
last we have had rain almost daily—altogether a very sorry
prospect. New wheat is quite out of the question, and,
even with fine settled weather, the consumption for some
weeks must be principally on old." From Surrey again:—
"Last night was fine, I mean pretty dry, but very windy,
and this morning it is beautifully bright, with the wind
N.W. and quite sunny ; if this lasts the wheat will not take
much harm, but the barley is done for, and now the farmers
say the potatoes are going." From Lincolnshire it was
stated—" The weather is now worse than ever, and no-
thing can prevent damage to the wheat and barley.
Nothing carted comparatively, and nearly all cut. The
barley in stook is getting much discoloured on the outside,
so that, if got dry at last, there will be two qualities in
the sheaf, which the maltsters will not like. The pro-
bability is, therefore, that the British grower will have to
succumb to the foreign, who may be favoured with better
weather. The prospects for keep are good." Saturday
was a fine day, the only one in the week on which
there was no rain. One of our advices states, "It is
now (6 a.m.) as beautiful a morning as I think I ever recol-
lect. Yesterday our farmers carried wheat ' halter skelter,'
wet and growing at the bands of the sheaves, and in this
state they absolutely carried from early morning to dusk at
night. On Thursday, with fine weather, a great part of our
wheat will be up, stacked, of course, in tho ricks. Verylittle
barley is cut as yet ; it is in a dreadful state." Dasastrous as
this week has been it might have been worse, for the low
temperature and brisk breezes have greatly prevented
sprouting; and it is to be hoped that the weather has taken
up and will be fair next week, which will be most fortunate
for the country at large.—Mark-lane Express.

LOVE-MAKING IN CHESHIRE between Dick, the
farmer's head man, and Peggy, his sweetheart, in
Mrs. Linneaus Banks' new novel of " God's Providence
House :"—" Oi say, Peggy, how many years bo it sin' we
begun to keep company together? Ten or twelve o'
reckon.—' Ten or twelve! More loike foorteen or six-
teen. Whoi, Miss Ailse wur but a babby so. hoigh (in-
dicating the height with her hand) running about th'
dairy an' tumblin' in th' milk-pans and duck-pond, if a
wench nobbut turned her back.'—' Whoi, what a memory
yo' ha', Peggy !' ejaculated Dick., with exulting admira-
tion, of couldna' remember that fur!'—' Ha ! but yo'
didna' get yo'r ears clouted as o' did, sure as eggs, when
that big woman as tended th' house that year, fund mea
dawdlin' wi' thee instead o' mindin' the choild ; an sarva
roight too, for th' little un hadn neigh bin drownded.'—
' She was na drownded, though ; an' now she's a foino
loss goin' to be wed ! Oi say, Peggy, if our betters think
it toime to get wed afore they ha' known ono another's
faces twelve months, dunna yo' think as how we who ha'
known each other's moinds more nor them manny years
moight venture ? What dost say, loss ?'—' Oi Ldunno,'
was the low answer from Peggy's lips, whilst her rough
fingers twirled the tape ringlets unconsciously.—' 111 a,
dunno ! whoi, Peggy, loss, tha dun' ! An' Peggy, e begin
to:think as how of shouldns.' ha axed yo' that question
manny a year ago ! An' so, if yo' dunna say nay, all go an'
put th' banns oop next Sunday ! What dost say ?
Peggy had not said anything, but she cliti then squeeze out
the words, If tha loikes, Doak.'"