The Sun.
London, England, 1853-10-27 00:00:00

RESULT OF THE HARVEST.

The following is extracted from the circular of Messrs.
Taylor and Bright, of Hull, dated yesterday :
"Although some quantity of spring-sown wheat re-
mains in the fields, yet the harvest is sufficiently finished
throughout this district to enable us to report generally
upon its results, and we beg consequently to wait upon
you with a few remarks. The character of the season.
from seed-time in the autumn of 1852, through the
spring, and time of flowering, up to harvest time, was
peculiarly unfavourable, so much so as to induce the
not unfrequent remark, that if tlyz crop of 1853 proved
a good one, weather had nothing to do in the matter.'
A late harvest was the result, and although then favoured
with very seasonable weather, it is to be feared sufficient
time was not given for the corn to get thoroughly dry
in the fields ' • this is not unfrequently the case in such
seasons, and the result will be, that for some consider-
able time the samples will be wanting in condition.
Wheat, in consequence of the very wet autumn, was
sown to a less extent than for many years past, and even
in spring, thousands of acres were from the same cause,
unsown with this grain and appropriated to barley and
other spring corn. This circumstanc3 at, once gave the
prospect of a deficient crop, which the most unusual
yield to the acreage sown could hardly be expected to
counterbalance. We regret that it is not in our power.t3
report any such unusual yield, but unfortunately tie
reverse ; in fact, the yield to the acre is seriously defi-
cient, and coupling this fact with the short breadth
sown, we estimate the product of wheat at fully one-
fourth below an average, while compared with the ex-
traordinary crop of last year the contrast is much
more striking, and some of our best-informed
friends consider this estimate too favourable. The
quality of the new wheat is generally good, and
when in condition will show a fair weight, but at present
the great proportion is damp, and requires a consider-
able mixture of old. Taken as a whole, we consider the
crop of wheat the worst this country has known since
1816. The stock of old wheat in farmers' hands is, we
think, somewhat in excess of what is usual, though on
this point opinions are much divided. In this port we
estimate the stock of foreign wheat at 35 to 40,000 qrs.,
and the principal depots to the west of this (Goole,
Wakefield, and Leeds) have about 135,000 qrs. With
the exception of a few thousand quarters on passage
from St. Petersburg, and a few stray cargoes from the
Mediterranean, our import until next spring will be
very trifling, and even then we must look mainly to
Russia and America, for the harvest in France is as
deficient as our own ; and although a high range of
prices, by changing the character of their own consump-
tion, will cause Germany and Denmark to send us all
they can possibly spare, yet their crops are by no means
well spoken of. The known deficiency of our own home
crop, its unsatisfactory condition, and the large pro-
portion of it required for seed, will combine to
throw an unusual demand upon old foreign wheat,
and we see no reason to change the opinion ex-
pressed more than once in late circulars that
the legitimate operation of supply and demand,
unassisted by speculation (which prevails to a less extent
than, under such exciting £ircumstances, we ever re-
member) must cause a considerable advance upon pre-
sent prices. A tightened money market has already,
and may continue to prevent wild speculation—this we
shall not regret—but with such solid causes as we feel
sure exist, no screw of this kind, in the present condi
tion of our labouring population, will prevent an im-
portant rise in all bread stuffs. We arrive at this ;
con-
viction unwillingly, after full consideration of the
is great
advance that has already taken place, but
upon us by a calm review of our necessities? and our
ability to provide for them."