The New York herald., 1879-08-11
BRITISH GROWLS.
Views Of an American Consul
On the Crops.
ENGLAND AS A PURCHASER.
Unpleasant Prospects for the Farmers
and the People.
LONDON, July 20, 1879

There is no class of persons with better opportu-
mites for impartial observation regarding the con-
dition OF English commerce. manufactures and agri-
culture than the American consuls stationed in the
various centres of industry. The reports sent by
them to the department in Washington always find
their way back TO England. and read and crti-
csed, that the officials who make them are doubly
careful their facts and the justice of their
clusions. These reports in the present time of de-
preston good deal of sensation and it is re-
ported be the custom of the consuls to leave town
about the time the documents published in the
towns in which they are stationed until the affair
blows over The reports certainly not very
pleasant reading to those most concerned. In re-
cent conversation with Colonel Shaw, the United
States Consul at Manchester. your correspondent
asked him about the agricultural prospects in his
part Of the country.
THE RAINS
''The crops" said ne, nearly ruined by the
rain of the past two three months. The hay crop
which is now being gathered, will be very inferior
of it utterly worthless. owing to the want
of sunshine and to the heavy rainfall. In many
cases immense quantities of hay have been carted
heaps and left for manure. because it
worthless for fodder. Should the coming winter be
severe the last the cost of keeping stock will
consequently be ruinously great; in any case this
partial failure of the hay will be serious loss
to the farmer" Colonel Shaw feels confident that
grain will not yield half a crop it being rank in
growth. while a continuance of wet weather will
tail even more serious results. Potatoes are in
bad state and likely to rot. being, as a farmer
marked recently, 'all tops and no bottoms"
AMERICAN COMPETITION.
"The American competition i'll agricultural prod
ucts is beginning to be realized to the full continued
the Consul .and the worst of it is for the farmer
much of the American produce almost directly reaches
the consumer. thus cutting out many OF the middle
men who between the English producer and
is arf1s n larly frna nflu hnt
even better methods might be devised for placing
American cheese. butter, hams fruits &c., to
totally avoid the middlemen This question of
'middlemen is being agitated, and it is probable
that the English system of handling produce will
finally be totally abolished regards American
ticles. In the long of Engand's prosperity little
attention has been paid to the manner in which
ributeI to the consumer 1t will hardly be believed
that III country so densely populated and where
competition is keen wholesale and retail dealers
III failu lroduce III England make double the profits
that dealers make i'll America. Yet such is the fact.
MARKET AMERICAN GRAIN.
Colonel Shaw said that the threatened failure Of
the crops here would create good market and in
sure higher prices for American grain and wheat
and barley will 5e needed in an amount unpre-
ceaentcd in late years He also believ Alneri
can competition would improve farming methods
in England and increase the use OF agricultural i'm
PIGMENTS. Referring to the agitation for reform in
the Land laws Colonel Shaw said that it would be
long before change would be permitted in the
sting statutes, and it more likely there would
be change in the trade policy OF England. The
agitation against free trade is, he said, becoming
facturers will, before long, protest the polls
against system which dscriminates against them
selves. Landowners too, suffer in consequence of
lowered rents. and they will give their cooperation.
THE LONDON TIMES on THE GLOOM OF THE
sEAsoN--BLIGHTED PROSPECTS FOR EVERY
BODY.
"The present year.. says the London Times "will be
amemorable instance of the variety and delcacy
of the conditions which all the fruits of the earth
may be said equally to depend. In the midst Of
haymaking at the most critical point of the growth
of the wheat plant with tle fate OF the potato
hanging in the balance. and gardens and
orchards asking for light and heat, know not
what good i'll the next hour may do to them all
round. The wheat is filling but slowly the
stalk is thn the blade of a somewhat sicky hue,
and it is quite within the compass of possibility
that yield will be indifferent in both quantity
and quality, and that best bread will be from
abroad. In the course of last week the drea led
potato blight showed itself here and there, and now
threatens to be general. Apples, poor crop to be-
gin with, suffering from heightened and recurrent
frost and from scanty sunshine. show worse every
day. The fruit that should have ripened have come
TO their day without ripening, and consequently
without flavor or tenderness. Strawberries rasp
berries. currans. only remind of what they ought
to have been, and have to be largely supplemented
with sugar in cookery. Cherries very early
cumbed to the inclemency OF the Everything
IN our gardens has been running to stalk and leaf
There Is iul crop OF peas. but everybo dy notices
that they want flavor. Beans will fail in quantity
well in quality. AS tor the wall fruit happy are
they who possess walls trained against
them. Barley and oats may be said to have the
still before them; but the former is i'll color
and will not be an abundant crop. What
hardest OF all, and will be paradox to of
readers the meadow grass Itself is poor and does
not feed or cheer the cattle as 1t ought. 1t wants
body and flavor. few weeks of really fine weather
would set things right and put nature. to speak
in her proper course; but without them tins will be
very bad year.
COMPARISONS WITH FORMER YEARS.
Though we have got very little way into the
of things in the science OF weather still
some forecasts of the crops month two before
hand. From the very and occasional notices
sent US OF former years having general resem-
blance to the present it may be concluded that sucb
comparisons often made possibly from the
want of materials. Pepys and Evelyn left in their
journals some notes of year very similar to this;
but the recorded phenomena generally those
of striking and picturesque character, such
as very long and severe frosts, snow lying
deep Tor months, excessive heat and violent
tempess. Yet what is called rainy overcast weather
is as potent for evil any of them. There
can be little controversy to the very exceptional
weather we have had now since last September.
Winter began in October and continued with in
creasng severity till the beginning OF May-that
is. for seven months. shortly there set in rain,
which was at first borne cheerfully, as an
incident of the expected transition from cold
to heat. winch some thought would be as
excessive as the cold had been But the rain--it
rained and rained on forevermore, and some be-
gan to talk of sun spots, cosmical change
and even planetary influences. It not even re-
lieved by many or long intervals of sunshine.
Jupiter Pluvius ruled the skies and nothing would
thrive grow except TO barren superfuity during
his reign. The spring. late as IL began, nay almost
treading on the heels OF summer-refused TO
make up Tor lost time. and the result there never
Dackward season. According TO "a record of
the wheat crop kept by practical Yorkshire farmer
quoted IN our columns yesterday, the shooting OF
the which usually is to be observed n the mid
lie or the early part OF June, aud in only in
stance in twenty years late as July T. or
in July at all, was this not to be detected till
July ., and the inference drawn from the compari-
the twenty series of dates is that reapiuQ
Will not begin ill September 49, aud the harvest will
not close till October y. The further ADVANCE into
mtumn the more precariOus Will be the weather.
and unless the next two months are unusually fine
The harvest will be poor In every respect and indif-
Ierently got in.
GLOOMY PROSPECTS.
What IN next year should be like this? Bad sea-
IONS, continually assured, come together, and
have bceu lately told apparently with "a long
respect and careful calculation that in every cycle