The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1879-09-06
LONDON LETTER.
tFrom our regular Correspondcnt)


LONDON, Aug. Is, 1879
The Importance to the American farmer of
all intelligence concerning the prospects of
food supplies in the great English market
will think, make interesting some observa-
tons recently made in an extended tour
through the agricultural district, of that
country.
| observed that wheats carry themselves
well to the eye; but upon walking INTO them
you find the stems far between, and little bur.
dened by broad flag, which, though danger
IN tempestuous weather, is source of nour-
ishment for both straw and ear; the ears are
short and light, with defective splkelcts at the
base. The profuslon of annual ana other
weeds must detract greatly from the possible
yield, and probably not a fourth of the fields
are only now in bloom, and the grain in the
most forward still in the state of white milk,
it is yet too early to prognosticate what the
weather may accomplish toward filling the
ear with plump berries. Against the pros
Pect of good yield in proportion to the in
sufficient plant are these three considerations.
The time for Towering is unseasonably late,
making it likely that the five or six weeks
usually occupied in furnishing the ear with
grains and duly filling and hardening them
may be curtailed; the probable effect of a hot
time would be to hurry the ripening, seeing
that the roots, which might otherwise have
sustained and prolonged the green and grow
ing condition of the plant, were prevented by
the wet spring and summer from going down
sufficiently deep into the SOIL and lastly in
case of cool and wet weather between this and
harvest, the ripening would be still more un-
favorabe-a satisfactory filling of the ear
principally depending on high temperature,
when the plant is well rooted and able to sup
ply the nutrimcnt which the sun Can cause to
be assimilatcd ana concentrated In the grain
Artificial and other manures have been so
washed out of the soil that their effect in corn
producing will be little realizable IN the pres.
ent season. | learn, however, that on the
farm near Sawbridgeworth which Mr.. John
Prout has cropped for many years in success
sion with white corn, selling off the straw as
well as the corn, by auction, each year, the
wheats and barcys are again heavy, the
greatest crops being those Of rivet or horned
wheat. This successful result Is due to deep
tillagc by the steam.plow, in con junction with
plentiful applications Of phosphate and am
monacal manure.
The same inclement season which has lett
all the orchards melancholy with the absence
of fruit has refused luxurant growth to the
crops, and at the same time developed every
possible form Of smothering and devourng
weeds. Hoeing and handwriting have been
of little practical use for months, and farmers
declare that weeds cut up in the morning
have rooted again before the hoemcn were out
of the field
1t is a mystery how occuplers of these corn
farms, rented at what mixedhusbandry farmer
would think moderate figures, can 90 on I'M
der existing conditions Indeed there are
many indications that numbers of tenants will
not long be able to pay their rents. What
shall they do: viii advisers recommend
them to try milk cans for London-a trade
which many dairy farmers already find over
done? Some of the schemes cCntrivcd for
farmers beaten by seasons and foreign compe-
titon are more benevolent than business-like,
more theoretical than available in actual
practice. Minor productions of the farm
must always remain limited and it would he
as idle, for example, to recommend the
Roothing farmer to give up corn and raise
butter and eggs as to urge that they should
turn their attention to cucumbers because a
clever man at Broomfield near Chelmsford,
cuts and sends to Covent garden 5000 per
week of the longest, straightest, and most
tender t1eshed of these cool juicy rellshes that
are sold IN London