Dayton daily empire. [volume] (Dayton [Ohio]) 1850-1865, 1860-04-10
The wheat and rrui. prospso,,


We recently took trip few miles north
Of this city, and made a compass of league
or two on our return by another route, in
order to have "good look" at tho wheat
crop, fruit &C., and CLEAN what information
we could in regard to the prospect for the
coming harvest season. We had not been
"out since the warm weather had started
the growth of vegetables and other green
things, and having heard the croakers
mourning over the universal blight which
threatened to bring famine upon us, we
were prepared to see beggarly sight Of
wheat fields. One man told US that he had
been all over Darke county, and that he did
not see enc field where the wheat looked as
though it would yield full crop; most of
the grain had been thrown out by the frost
and majority Of the farmers intended
plowing up the grain to plant corn This
was truly discouraging tale, and we would
have been made uneasy by its recital, did
we not know the gentleman to be chronic
croaker, having listened to the same story
excepting the location) about dozen
times in as many years
Another gentleman, who had been engas
ged In selling articles in TIE northern por-
tion of this county and on the southern
borders of Miami, assured us that in all
the country he visited, not one fourth of a
crop of wheat would be raised; and there
would be no fruit of any kind
1t was the statement of the latter indiyid-
ual We desired to overhaul; we had faith in
Providence and appearances, and we hadn't
in the declarations of our informant We
did not 20 far before we found that he had
either overlooked the "face of nature" or
did not know wheat from grass. Indeed,
during the whole of our tour we did not see
= field OF wheat that looked bad. We no.
ticed a few "knobs" that were rather
sparsely covered with wheat, but they did
not amount to any thing and were the
smallest possible exceptions to the general
rule of good crops. We stopped at the res.
idsnce Of an old gentleman with whom we
had been long acquainted he had two
large fields covered with q crop of as prom
ising wheat as We had ever seen; in the
coufse of pleasant conversation we asked
how his wheat promised. "Oh," said he,
VI don't know; | don't believe it will turn
ont very we'll" We were astonished at his
reply, and remarked that we had never
seen better looking wheat at this season of
the year. "Oh, yes,' he rejoined, at looks
well enough noi0, but l fear it won't turn
out well, after all" So accustomed had he
become to croRking, that he made himself
appear utterly ludicrous whenever the sub
jsct of the crops was broached One thing
may be depended on--if no bad luck oyerr
takes the wheat crop in the Miami and Mad
river valleys, We will have quite enough for
home consumption and demand, and a
large surplus for shipment
We noticed that the oats crop had made
Its appearance through the ground, and
gave promise Of abundance, The ground
for corn has been pretty generally broken
in the bottoms. The rains we have Just
had, although not heavy, have materially
Denentted vegetation; they have added thou
sands to the crops in Ohio.
The peach, early pear, PLAN and cherr
trees are generally In bloom. Notwithstand.
ing the disconraging rumors we have had
during the winter. II seems that we have
the promise Of a small peach crop after all
We examined quite number of buds the
other day, and found but few blighted ones
among them a proportion of about two to a
hundred We now have confidence to be.
lisvs that We will have pretty fair crop oil
fruit and berries throughout the West. Th5
prospect is eEossdingly good at the present
writing snd We may conclude thas the har'
vest Of gFAln will bs a. abundant 81 reasoa,
abls people eenId desire