The Sun.
London, England, 1867-06-11 00:00:00

THE L.I7E SEVERE IVEATHEI?.

(From the Mark-Lane Express)
The injurious effects of the severe frosts that oc-
curred for several nights during last month are be-
ginning to manifest themselves in all their destiuc-
tiveness. Two classes of cultivators have more
especially sustained great injury, namely, the market
gardeners and the growers of seeds "on contract"
for the London dealers. The first of these have lost
the chief part of their crops of French beans that
were above ground, while other crops of early escu-
lents have suffered to a greater or less extent. In
Bedfordshire a large breadth of land is occupied in
growing cucumbers in the open fields, between
rows of rye a foot distant from each other, which
protect the young plants until the warm weather sets
in. The planting out of the cucumbers takes place
generally about the beginning of May, and we
question whether the young plants could have with-
stood the extremely severe frost of two or three of
the nights. The early potatoes had their foliage
turned black, but whether the tubers have sustained
injury has not at present been ascertained, though
they must have received a check in their growth.
The fruit-growers for the metropolitan market
have sustained severe losses. The gooseberries
and currants were protected by the foliage of
the bashes, and have probably escaped ; but both
raspberries and strawberries felt the full effect of
the biting frost. We have been told of one straw-
berry-grower who loses entirely 35 acres of fruit ;
and others have suffered more or less, in proportion
to the extent of their cultivation. So great is the
destruction in the large open gardens that this fruit
must necessarily be scarce and dear this season.

We can scarcely hope that the apples and pears
have escaped without injury, which, if sustained,
will very soon show itself. On the whole, the supply
of native fruit must be greatly curtailed throughout
the season, and unless a larger importation than
usual takes place, the price will be high in propor-
tion to the scarcity.
Equally destructive has been the season through-
out to the crop of turnip, mangold, carrot, and
other seed plants; and the climax of frost last
month gave the coup de grace to many of these.
Hundreds of acres of turnips planted for seeding
have been ploughed up, not enough plants being
left to yield even a tolerable crop. Even where
this was not absolutely the case, the high price of
cereal produce induced many who were doubtful of
the result of the turnip-seed to choose the alternative
of ploughing them up and sowing the land with a
spring crop of either barley or wheat, rather than
risk the probable loss of the turnip seed. The
carrot seed has also been destroyed in some districts,
and the price of this article has greatly advanced.
The seed turnips and the mangolds on the ground
look fair at present, and the late rains came well to
give them a fresh start. But the breadth of land,
owing to the amount that has been ploughed up,
must necessarily be less than usual, and the new
crop is not yet housed ; nor is it yet ascertained
whether much injury has been done by the frost of
last month. Scarce, however, that seed must be,
there being little stock on hand, either with the
growers or seedsrnen, and the latter, being quite
aware of the state of things, have advanced their
prices. Many of them, in fact, are greatly
disappointed in the amount they will receive
from those with whom they have contracted, the
farmers having been obliged to plough a portion of
the plants up, as already stated. So far, therefore,
as the produce of the garden and of the seed
plants is concerned, prices will probably rule
high for another season. With regard to the
more important products of the farm, the cereal
crops, fortunately, were not forward enough to
sustain much injury from the late frosts. The
wheat had not shot the ear, and until that is the
case frost will not injure it except in the blade,
which will turn brown ; but a few fine days will set
all to rights again. A good deal of wheat plant
was destroyed by the excessive rain during the
winter, and the season throughout has not been
favourable for a heavy crop. Still, at present there
is at least a prospect of a moderate average, where
there is a plant ; at the same time the breadth of
land devoted to the cultivation of wheat has been
largely reduced during the last few years, as may
be concluded from the extraordinary increase in
importations, which has far exceeded what that of
the population would warrant. It is therefore cer-
tain, taking all things into account, that we shall not
have a heavy, probably not an average crop of
wheat ; and on the other hand, the stocks of that
grain are so low, not only in the United Kingdom,
but over the whole of Europe and of North Ame-
rica, that unless the crops abroad should be un-
usually abundant, we can see nothing in the pros-
pect to make us suppose that prices will be below
what they are at present. And if, on the contrary,
anything serious should happen to the growing
crops, either at home or abroad, we should have
difficulty in providing for the consumption of
population except at very advanced prices. With
respect-to barley, it is, we believe, very backward
in most districts of the country, and cannot have
suffered materially from the late frosts. A large
breadth has been sown, owing to the high price it
has borne in proportion to other grain, being at
certain times of the year within a few shillings of
the price of red wheat. We need, however, warm
dry weather for all the crops, the low temperature
that prevailed during the greater part of May hav-
ing materially interfered with their progress, and in
some cases stunted their growth. The hay crop is
considered everywhere to be an abundant one, which
will come in well, as very few farmers have much
old hay on hand.

TILE ST. IVES MACKEREL FISHERY.—The mackerel
caught last week by the St. Ives boats have fallen
short of the average quantities through the season. The
quality, however, as is usual in June, is 'very superior to
that of the May fish. A good many nights' fishing was
lost by the heavy sea prevailing to the westward, and the
average catches have been about 500 per boat. On Satur-
day the highest number caught by any ono boat was 2,100,
and many had not more than 100. The season is now near
its close, and has been on the whole very successful, so
much so that it is expected that an unusual number of
boats will be built for the next season. •
DROWNED WHILE BATHING.—A painful excite-
ment was occasioned in Newbury yesterday by the death
by drowning of a most respectable young man, named
Rolfe, shopman at the drapery establishment of Messrs.
Rodman and Jones, Northbrook-street. It seems that he
had intended leaving Newbury by the first train yesterday
morning to visit his relatives, and rose earlier than usual
for the purpose of bathing in the river Kennet, a short
distance from the town. He did not return, however, when
expected, and soon afterwards his lifeless body was dis-
covered in the Stream.