New-York tribune., 1871-10-10
AGRICULTURE ABROAD.
IN GREAT BRITAIN.
,,r u,pvrsrs-THE POTATO DISEASE THE |
III" CATTLE PLAGUE.
.-.n,. nnp OWN CORRESPONDENCE 4

-, aOreed that the wheat harvest in England 70
- ~ under the average, the chief question teina'ns
hor grest the deficiency will be That N S'" n -
=, estmate Good progress continues 70 DC ,,a"O .
,ettnc In the harvest with results VARYING w
,es hu, on the whole rather below than sooVe """'
,,.d vvrn grounded and moderate expectations l"
o-,h is SAID the general yield, including Whe"t
ives nrr,tv good satisfaction The supply OF Ehgnsh
hcat reaching market stN limited ana lVS oonui''"
in consequence Of the late rains poor PrceS continue "
the past week witnessing another advance o
per bushcl for all kinds OF wheat ,,,o.,.u,
The general tone OF the letters from I"i" ,
Growing districts is not less despondeht 'n"n
,t ,roet Those that ! have seen from the hor'n
hardly bear out the report that the harvest gives
faction A correspondent from the East NdlhR vi AoA
shre writes that had weather has interfereo win mar
wat oner,tons 80 that IL is still difficult 70 ccuate Vo
',,, ,,,, evorvtbiuc indicates that wheat will fall
h short of an average crops bushels per acre. SAYS
o,o,ber estimate letter from Lancashire b S'lil
stronrer the writer affirming that general uiSapp"'
ment expressed by the growers rs 10 yeiu anu ny ~
consumers as quality and using proPertes Aih"S'
verywhcre in the north the weather OF the past wocK
.rs ,o have hpep variable good deal OF rain falling,
18th sou, storms of wind In Lincolnshire the sheaves
are reported seriously injured from this cause and much
Grain stacked is in bad condition So in the middle cOun'
tics We ind a Cunbrdgeshire correspondent complain
ing of the weather very peculiar But there are bet
tar reports from the west OF Yorkshire where good
deal Of grain has safely housed and, like the bulk
o the crop everywhere is waiting to get threshed In
Norfolk the Yield will prove II Ia said, very deficient In
Huntngdonshirr wheat is reported very variable both
"a 10 quantity and quality. The yield in Buckingham
shire is deficient by about bushels per acre and In
South Warwckshlre may be taken at from to 20 per
cent under an average. In West GlOucesershire the
wheat crop s pronounced poor and unsatisfactory in
the adjacent county, HerrfOrdshre, very de1cent; in
Cheshire threshed samples are damp and rough ana
the crop not average" Northumberland Is almost
the only county that reports average crop On the
east coast we find North Essex and South Suffolk reoc
inc in fine harvest far the weather Is concerned
hut the crop still below the average ranging from l6 to
a. bushels an acre. the lower being the rule, and the
average deficiency to bushels per acre AS to the
whole of suffolk another report says the harvest nearly
completed but the grain will rarely exceed 63 lbs
per bushe in weight in the best condition. and the
bHk OF the crop will probably weigh less The rich and
fertile southern tier Of counties does betor than the
central and northern North Surrey reports wheat saved
IN order and apparently good crop, but alas
the drum tells sad taleyeld acre varies, but all
low from % bushels only. The story is the Same in
Kent the harvesting went WELL but the yield OF the
fhreshng machine disappOints expectation From Wilt
shire the that be said Is the crop may prove
an average but doubt It," Hampshire is still worse
IL is the opinion Of experienced a2rtculturtss
that wheat crop Of this year In quantity and quality
will be the worst since 1881" DevOnshire and Cornwall
two counties Of the extreme southwest Join IN the
gloomy chorus; Cornwall saying that her wheat and
barley crops viii fall below both in quantity and quality
the years Devonshre estimating both crops at
10 per cent below the average.
1t seems that II we had been wise, we might have
known long ago that q short harvest was to be
expected. The Chamber Of Agriculture Journal from
which sOme Of the above reports gathered, says
"that last year had hot June and July, fol-
lowed by a cool July and August period" (meaning
suppose, that the two halves Of July to be taken
separately and through the whole Summer an excess OF
Iio OF heat above the with rainfall OF 2i'
less than the average the result being an average yield
of wheat defective plant and the prevalence OF
cloud being responsible for the failure to do better This
year have general average temperature but low In
June and July taken together Notwithstanding an excess
Of 80 in the latter month; and again defective plant
the maturing Of which further checked by heavy
rains in June and July great injury from storms, bad
influences at towering tme and extensive prevalence OF
Hight and midew. Hence, says THe Journal very posi-
lively the present wheat harvest must be written under
average And comparing the observations OF years past
ii the conclusion that the thermometer and rain
gauge together checked by modifying accidents in the
condition the crop which known before the harvest
arrives constitute an nfalbe guide to the abundance
or deficiency Of the yield of wheat in England So that
an estimate in August September Will not be dsproved
by the actual thre shings in Autumn Winter. IL all
this may be relied on ought TO know as much about
the yield now as month hence.
To show how untrustworthy the most careful esti-
mates made in advance may be, Mr.. Thomas c.
Scott cites the case Of Mr. Prouts celebrated farm
IN Hertforsre. Before the wheat was threshed out,
the crop was estimated by Mr. Prout himsehby the auc
tpeer who sold it, and by the purchaser OF It, at 66
po,hels per acre. The actual yield is only 4s-st, OF
course an exceptionally large one In the eastern part
~ E,ser County-a famous wheat district, where A
bnsh.ls are not uncOmmony harvested-the yield this
car ia about g. And Mr. Scott is "convinced that the
wheat crop OF this year disastros deficient and that
We shall have import about 100000 bushels, costing
probably $4,000 OOO half our national ta1atlon-No
wonder cOnsOls are heavy. =,
Mr. Prouts farm above referred to may not be so well
known in America Mr.. Mechis, OF winch 1t is meant
10 le the practical cOnfutaton. Mr Mechis system Is
tased on prOess stOckkeepngthat is, on the theory
that stock keeping is the essential condition OF good
farming whether the stock themselves can be MADE 10
nav or not Mr. PrOut will not have stock at any price
and here is what Mr., Scott about farm conducted
on that pr4ncPso; ''5' +...
yeas c1ssSs the ToEk Graas. and even tIese 40 s
made this season and still open TO inspection. pOtA
tatOes Colds, swedes, carrots. and maize have
found that excessive manurDg does not lead TO pro
sble results but Mr.. PrOus system, applied on the
BaEshe sand formation should not have expected any
crop at all. Mr.. PrOut purchases artificial manures
1t 70 true equivalent TO ss acre. but his main
dependence IL on the so'l itself and the at%ospssre
aud already gest part 0i his land t. is lad a. UP IN
years crops Whether not this great experiment
will succeed In the long cannot yet be considered
fs a ten SesS Il Gu. to make Sp On %nd
the auhjeCt and M PrOut has not made up his own
stored by applications Of bonedust which believe It
Is there reason why IL shoufd not succeed and
agriculture On strong soils We know that the Virgin
soils Of America become uBprOductive from contpued
drawn UPON the atmosphere for nitrogen by deep cult
yatOD and restored me minerals carried of by the crops
reasoning has never yet done anything directly for ar