The Sun.
London, England, 1866-12-11 00:00:00

Agricultural Prospects.

The week opened with a wet morning ; it was
afterwards fair for the most part of the day, but
rain set in at night. Monday was an unsettled and
showery day, wind south-west.. Nothing in the
shape of out- door work could be done, where there
was yet anything left to do. The early-planted
wheat has become tolerably strong where not too
much attacked with the slug, and there are instances
of its having become patchy; but sharp frost of the
previous Friday night was very useful in checking
the ravages of this enemy. Tuesday was an ex-
tremely wet day, blowing a gale throughout from
S.W.; thermometer 52 deg., barometer 29.60 in.
From Northumberland our advices stated :—" The
weather since our last report was fine up to Satur-
day; since then it has been dull and showery, wind
varying from N.W. to S.W. and S. With this sort
of weather, and so thick an atmosphere, wheat
thrashing could not be proceeded with to advantage;
yet the farmers are anxious to secure the present
satisfactory prices, being such as they have not ex-
perienced for a long time past, and a favourable
change in the weather would be very acceptable for
this process." Our Suffolk correspondent, on that
day, merely says, " Mild weather." From the East
Riding of Yorkshire our advices states :—" Weather
continues mild and open, and a good deal of rain
has fallen during the week. The wheat plant
comes forward slowly, especially on heavy soils,
and farmers complain of its appearance." An-
other very wet day on Wednesday, with a strong
gale of wind from the S.S.W., still continuing to
blow, causing great disasters at sea, flooding the
country again in all the low-lying districts, and
tending to injure the wheat plant where covered by
water. From the west coast of Scotland it was
stated : " The weather continues wet and boister-
ous." Farm work has gone on pretty well north of
the Tweed, and a good portion of the wheat bas
been sown : one dry week more will finish it ill
Scotland, and a greater breadth than last year will
have been planted, in the expectation of good Prices
ruling next year, from the closely worked up
of that
up stocks
at harvest time ; at least there is a prospe
looming in the distance. Our present position is
that the wheat at sea from various
places, added
to the stocks on hand at the outports, here and in
the farmers' hands, may carry us safely over to the
end of April, when springshipTmheunrstsdfary thewomasa
north
of Europe will commence. wet
and boisterous day, being the fifth in succession
with more or less rain, and a good deal of water out
again in many parts of the country. During that
time the barometer remained without any material
variation, and iu some partg of the country it has
been steadily rising. On this account a correspon-
d how
nwt itnh
itsh e e
comeso f
alb\oriugth.t visaonftasrsoalsneoounre
etxopeexrpi
na icne
tdghoi
distance
n.
ewoeeek,os
time,f u
Id say it forebodes frost at no great
Friday was the first dry day of
wind being W. to N.W., but yet the baro-
meter had gone down here. Saturday morning was
cold,
the day proving fine, thermometer then 37
deg., with a rapidly rising barometer all day. This
would prove a favourable day for the thrashing of
wheat, and a supply may now be looked for, to pay
the rents coming due at Christmas. From Warwick-
shire our advices stated, " Weather this week
has been very foggy, wet, and miserable. Except
wheat Except
on the heavy and wet lands, where the early
opflanittsis noootnvdeirtiyoo and
promising,gtrhoewretharetogootdhorepporrets-
sent time. The deliveries of barley have this
to market
iisnobreeintghapnuslhvleideat, showing
thatwwheei tthbse been
l
h 4e,
formerx3e2esgllreganirtl3l.prices can be made, and the
Burton ale brewers are still buyers of the most
choice qualities, at comparatively high prices.
Marla-lane Express.