Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1879-09-12

THE WET WEATHER AND AGEICTIrTEAL DIS
TErss IN ENGLAND.
IoNnay. Aug. eth, 1879.

T,thc Editor nl IN, Free Pres ani Times;
Heavy rains and floods sill continue IN
| England. In the Windsor district, the
| Thames has risen several inches above lis
| former level and dnrin% Tuesday night the
risin., water entered the gardens OF the houses
ON the Arlhur-road, Windsor. These are
| situated about Il quarter ol mile from the
river channel the iuundalion reaching the
| hack doors. There is nov an unbrokcn
| stretch Of water extending north OF Windsor,
| 10 Eton College, the lake thus formed being
a mile in l,nslh, and covering acres of pas
turr land Ninds;.r lace course is flooded,
and the Grand stand is almost Isolated Eton
and the college are nearly surrounded. East
ward of Windsor and Etrn the river is lrav-
Ing its usual course, and ilooding the pas
lures and farms About Horton and Wrays-
hurgh, and at various places along the
Thames valley, hay and corn crops are being
seriously damaged. Harvesting had been
commenced upon the Prince Consents farm
in the Great iark and elsewhere in Bcrks.
Bucks. Surrv and MiddlcscX, but the IN
the operations, and the cessation of work is
causing great distress among the poor people
seeking employment in the harvest fields.
The country in the Thames valley, viewed
from the hattlcmcnts Of the Round Tower oi
Windsor castle looks like a chain OF lakes
| extending eastward and westward OF the
ROYAL borough for many miles Hay AMI
grain lie roiting in places in swamrs formed
by the OVERLOOKING of the river and its tri-
butares, and the prospects of farmers are
dismal enough They cannot now escape
without loss even should fine weather set in
nj once, while a continuance of rain for an
other week or two must entirely ruin the
chance Of harvesting tier crops in a market
able condition.
In Chester farmers are about disposing of
all their store stock because their hay has
been washed away hy the floods. The state
of agriculture in Cheshire is worse than scri-
Gus. The season has been simply disastrous,
and farmers have nothing but ruin to face.
In the low lying ports Of Flinshire and Den
bighshirc things are. if possible, still worse.
The roots and corn crops are all buried in
water. With hundreds of acres Of land
under water. hay washed away, corn soft in
the ear and beaten to the ground, with barley
promising only half an average yield with
quite half the potato crop diseased, and with
little promise of fair supply of roots, the
prospects of the farmers in this quarter are
dismal indeed.
At the meeting Of the Board Of Guardians
at SittinGbOurnr Yesterday the effects Of the
disastrous weather were shown by statistics
presented 10y the workhouSc master, from
which it appeared that during the last week
no less than 23l persons had been admitted
into the casual wards. This number is an
increase of 129 over the corresponding week
of last year ard is the highest ever known
since the establishment Of tie workhousc.
The o3l persons were made up of 13i men,
fifty three women, and iorty-onc children.
Many of them have apparently come 10 the
ncighborhood for the harvesting and hop
ping, hut in consequence of the continued
wet much Of the corn still remains standing,
and what few hops there will he 10 pick will
not he ready for some days yet. There is
no doubt that ihIourLou. Rent the growth
Of hops will hc much smaller than in previ-
oi!S years. and there is lao prospect, what
ever, Of The nuliitudcs who usually cmigrate
from London 10 Kent for the hop-picking
finding employment Ills season. As the
incursion OF 'h"rPrIs' is not as great
this year as it las been in prosperous seasons,
much misery To these people must he the
result While agricultural operations are
paraly2cd, work in the brickmaking iacto-
RIGS is also entirely suspended. Not only
will there he many millions less brick turned
out this year than usual. hut the weather Is
such that those which have been moulded
cannot dry. and in some factories the newly
made bricks are dropping from the stacks
ours, NINoN.