The Sun.
London, England, 1846-08-27 00:00:00

THE SEASON AND THE CROPS.

During the last week the weather has been very un-
favourable in this part of the country for the drying of
the grain, and the greater part of it still remains in the
fields, cut, but not in a fit state to be housed. It
has several times been almost ready for stacking,
but in each case rain has come before it was
thoroughly dry, and has rendered a further delay
necessary. On several days the weather has been
warm and close, as well as wet, which rendered it
doubly dangerous to the grain. Saturday was the finest
day that we had last week, and the believers in the in-
fluences of the moon predicted that we should have a
fine month, but present appearances are much against
the truth of their predictions. The grain must have suf-
fered in some degree from this long continuance of damp
close weather, wherever it is not secured, that is, in the
north of England, in Scotland, and in the greater part of
Ireland. The accounts from the south and centre of Eng-
land state that it has there been secured in good order.
The fatal disease in the potatoes continues to spread in
every part of the country. Scarcely a field has es-
caped in South Lancashire and Cheshire. On the open
sandy lands, extending from Warrington to High Legh,
as well as in the district which we described last week,
the disease prevails everywhere. Its ravages
are much more general and fatal than they
were last year. Then it principally prevailed in
wet and heavy soils, whilst this year it exists in soils
of every kind ; then goodness of cultivation appeared to
check it, whilst now the best cultivated crops are the
first to be seized with the malady. Some of the worst
specimens of the' disease are to be found in perfectly
dry soils, where the potato has never been grown
before, and where the greatest care has been taken
in selecting healthy seed. Hopes were entertained by
many parties that new varieties of the potato might
be raised from foreign seed, which would he free from
this disease; but we learn from Mr. Skirving, that
of twenty -five foreign varieties grown by him in bis
nursery grounds at Walton, not one has escaped.
The sorts tried by Mr. Skirving were brought from
every part of Europe and America, and after so entire a
failure, in the hands of so skilful a cultivator as he is uni-
versally allowed to be, we fear that the prospect of re-
newing the crop from foreign seed is very slight. In this
neighbourhood, and in other parts of Lancashire and
Cheshire, some farmers speak of giving up the cultiva-
tion of the potato, except on a small scale, and of turning
their attention to milk and hay. In most instances they
will be compelled to do so by the want of seed, fnr none
of the potatoes are likely to ripen properly this year,
and it is therefore very improbable that they will keep
until spring.—Livcrpool
TIE POTAToE DISEASE.—The exemption of these
counties from this awful scourge, at which we so often
congratulated ourselves, no longer exists. Within the
last ten days the dreadful reality has displayed
itself, and is readable by every eye in the black
pestiferous fields which were anon teeming with
luxuriant verdure, indicative of prolific crops.
Throughout the whole district the potato crop has
been blighted, the stems are black and withering, setting
forth, where decomposition has taken hold of the
roots, a disagreeable fetid odour ; and to such an
extent does this prevail, that it is impossible to say
whether even a tithe of the crop will be available for
food. The characteristics of the disease need not be
enumerated, as they are the same here as elsewhere ;
and what is vexatious is, that no effectual remedy is
known for arresting its impetuous ravages. Cutting or
pulling off the shaws has been recommended ; but Nvh!re
the cause of the disease is not known, any prescription
must be very problematical. Some. persons have com-
menced to plough up the fields not far from this and if
the crops were nearly ripe this would be right ; but in
their present immature state, we doubt the advantage of
so doing, particularly where, upon trial, the roots are
not all giving way. The disease. is now pervadingutin n
,)thewhole empire, and no locality is tree of it ; b
dis-
trict will it be more severely felt than in the Northern
Highlands, where the bulk of the population subsist on
potatoes as their daily food, for which, we fear, noade-
quate substitute can be provided. In these circumstances
the most gloomy prospects are only open to us, of which
we do not see the end, or the intensity of the distress that
impends. In the meantime we recommend to all classes
to look the danger fully in the thce—to break up no
fields until the rottenness of all the roots is proved, and
in preparing tainted potatoes for food, to pare off all the
parts diseased before boiling. The establishment of starch
mills and flour mills has been suggested, and the suggestion
should not be lost sight of. Measures of relief will be ab-
solutely necessary in these counties, where the potato is the
chief subsistence of many, as in. Ireland ; and we doubt
not that the Ministry, who have so timeously and hu-
manely made provision to meet this visitation of Providence
in the sister isle, will turn a ready and willing ear to any
representation which msy be addressed to them from this
country. The approaching meeting of the Highlivid and
Agricultural Association of Scotland, in Inverness,
affords a most fitting opportunity for deliberation
as to the measures which are necessary in the present
juncture; and we sincerely hope, that as not only most of
our norther!' proprietors and farmers will be assembled
there, but many from other parts of the kingdom, as well
as the directors of this great Association, which truly re-
presents the agricultural interests of the whole of bcot-
land, the opportunity will not be lost of discussing
this very important question, and of adopting such a
course of action as may justify us in hoping that our
country will not be left without some . substitute for the
important article of food, of which, itas
.now certain, the
poor among us will this year be utterly deprived.—Boss•
shire Advertiser.

THE CROPS IN SCOTLAND.
(From the Ross-shire Advertiser.)
DIIMFRIESSEURE.—The past week has not been so
favourable for the important operations of harvest as
was earnestly desired over a wide district of country.
Around Dumfries about two-thirds of the grain have
been cut, and where the farmers were enabled to get an
early start, the fields have been cleared of their stocks+
and these safely deposited in the barn-yard. This only.
applies to our own immediate locality, however ;
even on the sunny slopes of the Tinwald hills, near',
all the grain remains standing, while much of it 's
still decidedly green. A good many sales of growing
grain have taken place, and wherever the crop has
not suffered seriously from the weather, the Tee
mand has been fair, and in some cases brisk.
uncertainty which still hangs over the grain ward".
ket has not been without its effect, however ; an
as several places, where heavy crops, which had suffered
from rain and floods, were exposed to competition,
the
sales went on so languidly, that they were stopPe
altogether. Prices for oates have ranged from 51. to I
per acre, according to quality; and the only instaseat
we are aware of where this figure was exceeded is
Mountainhall, where 11/. Os. were given for crop of has
questionably a very superior description. Barley ar
been sold at 71. per acre, the crop being short in tue
straw, as is generally the case all over the country.
(~„
Oats are looking remarkably well this season throng
out the district of Cunningham. At the sales, a ken/
competition, and good prices have realised. At Bill;
Dunlop, at a late sale, from 101. to 12/. per old Se°,,te
acre was readily obtained, which is an advance of Pe-
tween 20s. to 30s. on the last year's rates.
FORFARSHIR,E.—The heavy rains which fell towards
the end of last week were unfavourable to harvest or
rations, which are now generally commenced in t'7l
neighbourhood. Several farmers express a dread le
the alternately hot and rainy weather cause the grain :
sprout in the stook, or in the fields where it has bee
lodged. The potatoes are now by all conjectured,s
almost a lost crop. Fields which a few weeks ag°
pearell in all the luxuriance of vegetation, and g¢
every sign of promising an abundant crop, are now
vered by one mass of blackened "shams." It is a Palri;
ful sight to behold the ravages thus created. Some t'11,!,1
ago it was 'announced that the grain crops were se's,,
with a disorder similar to that which had attacked the
potatoes; but we arc given to understand that Le
namage will at most not exceed that of an ave`"Dof
blight. Though oats at one time had the appearance 0
being more than an average crop, so many fields of the e
having been lodged and their whitening so rapidly bslo
given rise to a dread that the grain, though bulky, W
not be of the average weight. fs.to
We have still to lament the progress of the Po s
disease, although some accounts seem to induce "li
ot,
that a few quarters may comparatively escape from
On this point, however, it is impossible to make any eiwos
filent statement. In various places where the crop d
manifestly failed, the ground has been cleared, r,
planted with greens, cabbages, and other vegetavare
In other cases, the potatoes, hopeless as the sPr in
ance of the stems is, have been allowed to reniatnir,
the ground, until the time of taking up shall have
rived, which is expected to be a month earlier to
11
usual. In some instances, the stems have been cat an,
with the scythe, and the surface powdered over nil
quick lime, and the earth raised around the plots. .„
short, in ignorance of the real cause of the ePiderwrli-
people are glad to try anything in the way of exP7
meats, in the hope of arresting ft.—Aberdeen Journa4:oo
KEITH, Auo. 13.—We regret to state that the Pita
taint has, to some extent, appeared in this distriet,ol,
the last week. It commences in the low grounds ory
lows, but gradually reaches the high grounds also. Area,
field is more or less tainted, 'both stem and root ;
withstanding, we think the calamity is much exaggellitie d-
and, so far as we can judge in the meantime, vve an fly
pate only partial damage, which the abundant and ye"
fine grain crop will amply make up.