The Sun.
London, England, 1856-09-15 00:00:00

TIIE HARVEST IN SCOTLAND.

AYRSlllRE.—lteaping has now been generally com •
menced in this country, but it is not carried on with ra-
pidity. The harvest is likely to be one of the most tedi-
ous that has been experienced for a number of years.
Under the low temperature crops of all kinds are ripening
very slowly. Instead of the usual competition for work-
ers in the second week of harvest, the farmer finds that
it is only too easy to cut down the crops as soon as they
are ready for the sickle. The weather last week was
not what might have been desired for maturing the later
portion of the crops : but it did much good in checking
any tendency of sprouting amongst early grain in shel-
tered situations. The searching breezes of Thursday
and Friday made the grain perfectly dry. This week
the weather has been sultry and changeable. Very heavy
rains fell on Sunday at Cumnock and across the high
country towards Muirkirk. Monday was alternately
smiling and gloomy. The forenoon of Tuesday was
close, damp, and warm about Ayr, and in the afternoon
there was a violent thunderstorm and a heavy fall of rain.
This storm was succeeded yesterday by a good, clear har-
vest day, with occasional blinks of warm sunshine. The
weather has still an unsettled appearance. The glows
of sultry heat are probably indicative of heavy showers,
but there is no apparent tendency to continuous rains.
The ripening of the crops is very unequal. Some
farmers, even in high situations, will finish reaping this
week, while others have little done, or are not com-
menced. Altogether a very large proportion of the crops
is far from having acquired the hue of harvest. Much of
the wheat has a dull blueish colour, and some of the let r
fie'ds have scarcely lost the deep green tint of the season
of growth. In such cases ripening, we are afraid, is out
of the question. As the wheat crop ripens, more nume-
rous complaints of disease are heard. But from all that
we see and hear we are satisfied that the cereal crops in
Ayrshire are bulky, and likely to give an extra yield, if
the weather be favourable for maturing and harvesting
them. The oat crops look well in stock, and the grain has
a plump appearance, but a higher temperature would have
been requisite fur giving fineness of quality. New Findlay
cats brought to Perclewan-mill weigh from 351 b to 3641 b
per bushel, and the yield of meal is satisfactory for the
weight and condition of the grain. In the uplands of Kyle
there is a good breadth of April wheat ready for cut-
ting. Except in cases where it is very much beat down
its colour is surprisingly good, when the character of the
weather is taken into account. In the somewhat late
country between Ochilcree and Cumnock, it seems to
have almost entirely taken the place of oats after green
crops. On Monday last it had the appearance of being
generally ripe about the beginning of next week. Mr.
J. Allan, who has the merit of introducing it into that
district, has fine crops of it on some of the distant Corn.
nock hills, which a few years ago grew rushes and scanty
pasture. In addition to his green crop break, Mr. Allan
has this season tried it upon lea, and, notwithstanding
previous scepticism on our part, we must admit that his
experiment has proved completely successful. The lea
crop was within a week of being rips when we inspected
it on Monday. The ears were lengthy and well filled,
and the colour was not appreciably inferior to the other
adjoining fields of wheat, which were taken after po-
tatoes and turnips. Mr. Allan top-dressed the lea with
two cwt. of guano per Scotch acre, and sowed the wheat
about the 20th March.—Ayr Advertiser.
PERTHSHIRE.—VariabIe weather has prevailed during
the past week, and some heavy showers have fallen and
retarded the prosecution of harvest operations. Saturday
and Sabbath were very wet days ; Monday was fair, but
dull and heavy; Tuesday was clearer and more genial, but
the afternoon was cloudy, and about G o'clock some dis-
tant peals of thunder were heard. The thunder-clouds
rapidly approached. with the wind from tLe south east,
and a storm took place for perhaps half an hour. There
were POMO very vivid sheets of lightning, and the rain
poured dawn heavily. Later in the evening, after the sky
had cleared, there were frequent flashes of silent light
ning in the northern horizon. On Wednesday it was
fair but somewhat cloudy. The harvest is now going
forward in the district ; and the crops appear to promise
az average yield. —Peet/rehire Courier.
ABERDEENSHIRE. The weather during the past
week has been only partially favourable for harvesting
the crops in good condition. Thursday and Friday
were fine days here ; on Saturday afternoon it
rained, and Sunday was very wet throuehout, which
must have done considerable damage to the stailing and
cuty
greatly wanted.
and there has been no sunshine since, which
is wanted. There is, no doubt, a plentiful crop
on the ground, but the present is a time of peculiar
anxiety regarding it. From a careful estimate of the
probable produce of the harvest in this county, derived
from reports from various districts, we gather that
wheat will be an average crop ; barley also about an
average ; oats, about a full crop ; potatoes, a lair ave-
rage ; and turnips, rather deficient. Much, however,
will depend on the weather for the next three weeks,
for we are yet but at the commencement of harvest
labours.—A bcrdeca Journal.

CLOTHWORKERS' HALL.—This hall, in Mincing-lane,
is next week to be pulled down and rebuilt. It belongs
to nue of the wealthiest of the livery companies, profuse'
in their charities; and ht spitality. The late Mr. Thwaites
left them 30,000/., half 124,r charity and half for feasting.
The Ciotb workers' Company are forth() present going to
use Barbers' Ball.—Building News.
GERMAN BANKS.—A letter from Berlin, of the 10th,
in the Constitutioancl, says :—" The Darmstadt bank,
which has taken the initiative of a general congress of the
German banking establishments, has just addressed an
invitation to its colleagues to send delegates to it. The
object of this congress is to come to an understanding on
the general principles of circulation, as to form of drafts,
the conditions of the reciprocal acceptance of bank re-
ceipts, a common monetary unity, &c. This idea has
been very favourably received, and will probably he
realised in a short time."