The Sun.
London, England, 1866-07-03 00:00:00

Agricultural Prospects.

The past week opened with a splendid day, sunny
and hot; wind, N.N.E., backed by a beautiful sun-
set, with an Italian sky. Monday morning was
somewhat more cloudy, but it held up fine, and hay-
making was going on extensively. Wind, N.N.E. to
E. ; thermometer, 65 deg. ; barometer, 30.15 inches.
Tuesday was a fine hot day, very favourable for the
progress of haymaking, with the thermometer in the
shade 70 degrees. From Lancashire our advices of
that day stated :—On Wednesday last the unfa-
vourable weather ceased, and it has since been bril-
liantly fine, with proper summer warmth, and all
growing crops show evidence
.of its magical in-
flence. The haymaking season has begun under
good promise." From Suffolk, on the same day, it
was remarked :—" Wheats are coming into ear gra-
dually, and present some improvement in appear-
ance." From the West Riding of Yorkshire, it
was stated—" The weather is splendid, and the
crops are very much improving." On Wednesday
it was very hot, with slight heat drops in the after-
noon, but fine afterwards. Our accounts were ge-
nerally very favourable. From the west coast of
Scotland it was stated :—" We have complete sum-
mer weather." From Lincolnshire, on the same
day, our advices stated—" We have had some
splendid hot weather during the week, and the wheats
are nearly all in ear." From Gloucestershire, on the
same day, it was remarked—" The weather is of the
most favourable character for the growing crops,
and haymaking is rapidly progressing in this dis-
trict." Thursday was a very fine day, after some
showers during the previous night. From the neigh-
bourhood of Windsor our accounts ran thus :—" We
had a very heavy storm of hail last evening, which
beat down the crops in our neighbourhood, and re-
tarded the haymaking." From Warwickshire, it was
stated :—" Intense heat during the whole week, fol-
lowing the few days of previous showery weather,
has caused a great improvement in the crops, which
up to the present critical season, as regards wheat,
promises to be a very fair average." From Suffolk it
was remarked :—" We have now warm and genial
weather, and our crops are improving ; still both
wheat and barley promise to be short in yield, unless
upon fine well-farmed, kindly soils." From the in-
terior of the same county our advices go thus :
" The weather has continued fine, and although the
wind has been generally from the east, the days
have been warm; vegetation progresses well, and
the appearance of almost every crop improves daily."
From Devonshire, in the neighbourhood of Ply-
mouth, our advices state :—" The crops in our
neighbourhood are louking healthy, though back-
ward, and promise a capital yield. The weatlicr is
look
quite and some spots are beginning to
quite yellow ; but these are exceptions. Taking
to
thedistrict as a whole, our farmers have nothing
grumble about." Friday was a fine forcing day ;
wind N.N.E. ; thermometer, at noon in the shade,
78 degrees ; barometer 29.90 inches. From the
West Riding of Yorkshire our accounts vary :--
" The weather during the week has been very hot
and forcing, and I never saw such a difference as