The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1839-07-09 00:00:00

AGRICULTURAL REPORT FOR JUNE.

From every part of the united kingdoms accounts
of the most gratifying, cheering description are received. We
are not or those who take things for granted, whenever a fair
field of observations is open to our own inspection; we,
therefore, seize every opportunity to observe and compare our
actual observations with those of past seasons, and also with
the reports that we receive from friends, and peruse in agri-
cultural periodicals. Thus we are enabled to assert that the
wheat crops have improved with a rapidity, during this most
seasonable and propitious month of June, which has quite
surprised us. In all our previous reports we maintained that
a regular and steady progress was made ; but there was no
gaiety, no luxuriance. The spring was cold, at an average—
it was also dry ; and, in fact, the early spring rains, those
" April showers," which were the delight of former years,
have of late been like " angel visits." A burning sun by day,
and piercing chills by night, have supplied their place; and
thus the vernal periods have presented little of that luxuriance
of beauty which was formerly their characteristic.
But to return to the crops. We perfectly recallect that,
after the deep snows of 1837, and the succeeding cold and
ungenial spring, when throughout April few nights passed
without frost—frequently very severe—bets were offered that
the wheat would not be in ear at the close of old May (June
11). The first ear we ourselves saw was on the IGth ofJune,
and, on the very anniversary of that day, after the bitter frost
of January and February, 1838, we again noticed the same
result. In the present year, though the young plant con-
' tinued'short in growth for a week after the three noted frosts
of May 15, 16, and 17, so great was the stimulus of the fine
and warm weather which prevailed with little exceptions from
26th May, through an entire month, that the wheat showed
its ear in abundance on the 11th June', and its flowers have
subsequently appeared in succession.
The only evil effected by the last frosts shows itself in a
slight variegation of the upper leaves, which are striped and
blotched with a tint of brownish orange. The barleys are
beautiful, and showing ear rapidly. Oats are more back-
ward, but we have this day (June 26) seen the emerging
panicles in one or more large fields. Tares, with rye, are
looking bold, offering a full and compact fodder crop. Tri-
folium is no longer seen, and Italian ryegrass rarely. Broad
clover was checked by the frosty drought of early May, and
in places is thin. Our Hertford correspondent assures us
that everything is looking well, and promising—being much
benetitted by the rains of June.
This brings us to the subject of the weather. June has
assumed the feature which was indicated by the equinoctial
prognostic noticed in our report for March. Storms, very
arbitrary in their effect, have wandered over the midland and
western counties. We had ample proof of this during two
excursions within the last fortnight. In the eastern border.
of Berkshire
,the forenoon of the 14th was moist—it rained
4ently. Passing on to London, we conversed with travellers
from Wiltshire and the western border of Berkshire, who re-
ported that there ha&been deluges of rain, while the road on
which we journeyed aff,,rded occular proofs that scarcely a
drop of rain had fallen. East of London the roads were com-
pletely dusty ; and a gentleman asserted that about Dover ve-
getation languished for want of rain. The thunder storms
of the seine day at Reading and Henley, were productive of
floods of water which flowed through store houses, and ren-
dered the streets, for a time, almost impassable. On the 18th
we heard distant thunder to the east and south of the former

town, where, however, not a drop of rain fell, while at 10
miles' distance every watercourse became a stream, and masses
of ice (that could not properly be called hail) did considera-
ble and extensive damage. We read of quantities, and the
magnitude of the masses, which are ridiculous from their
gross exaggeration ; but it is beyond question or doubt that
a fall of icy fragments, of comparatively large dimensions,
has been most extensively observed, and coincidently with
peculiar and extremely high temperature. During the storm
of the 18th the mercury stood at 81 degrees ! These conflicts
of the elements have produced weather of a decidedly wet cha-
racter. The hay and clover are suffering under its influences,
and in too many instances are becoming black. Hay is poor
and thin in some localities ; but, we were assured, is plentiful
in the west.

With this exception to the general prosperity, we may
safely assert that tee rains are inducing so great a bulk of ve-
getation that, unless they indure too long, the farmer may
congratulate himself upon the prospect of a high remunera-
tion, even at a reduction of prices, which will prove a real
blessing to the consumer. _ _

The average maximum temperature, during day, from the
25th May, for 31 days, has been almost exactly 70 degrees
--that of the nights, at 10 p.m. during the same period, a
slight fraction below 35 degrees. Admitting then, the ut-
most latitude for local variations, the season must be allowed
to have been extremely benign. May it continue to be so
during the summer ! Our Scotch reports extend no further
than mid-May—then they were highly favoitrable ; the ground
had been worked in the best condition, and " the seed had

not received a more auspicious bed for many a year. The
young wheat, though not far advanced looked well, and a
considerably increased breadth of it had been sown." " Live
stock" brought high prices, and " the lambing season has
been successful both in hill and dale." But we have been
told that the frosts which followed in a few days after the re-

port had been productive of serious mischief. With us its
effects are gradually disappearing, and we believe that the

potatoes were untouched by it. The weather alternates, the
barometer fluctuates, and the showery, changeable character
is, for a time, established.

•J
une 27.