The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1880-08-21
The English Crop Prospects.

LONDON, England, July 30, 1SS0.-Electri-
been fortunately diminished though local
siorms are recorded from BRISTOL Newbury,
sSAl few other places. As regards the cereals,
the rapid approach Of harvest Is brought home
to us by letters from the LOwlands of Scotland
announcing the cutting OF early oats, three
weeks in advance of the first cuttings of 1879.
A more sure and general sign is to be seen IN
the changing color of the wheat IN forward
parts of the southern and eastern English coun-
ties The July rams will probably have made
wheat cutting nearlya week later than it would
otherwise have been, but harvest IN England
will probably commence in weeks time and
be general three weeks hence. The wheat
plants still stand well, despite thcrecent storms,
There is however, some increase Of blight,
and in some cases the grain-kernels look like
premature decay. Barley has been good
deal twisted and laid in certain districts; but
Where the violence of storms has been escaped
Itarley is, perhaps, the most promising of the
crops. Oats are exceedingly good in Scotland
have been almOs. stationary. All present in
fluences Of offerings and stocks favor an adj
vance of prices but trade is completely dom
mated by the harvest prospects of this and
other countries. These have been far from
uniformly promising; at the same time they
have been, taken altogether, sufficiently favora
BILE to prevent the improvement in value which
ordinary circumstances of supply and demand
should otherwise have induced The CONT
Aental inquiry has continued, although there
lafe signs Of change in this respect British
purchases from the United States have like
wise been large, and the quantity of wheat on
passage is now close upon two million quar-
tiers.
Imports of wheat for the week were SlG,69S
cwt. of wheat and 1891 cwt. of flour These
quantities are in themselves no more than
moderate and with English wheat reserves al
most run out, it follows that there must have
been some strain on our already greatly dlmin
ished stocks of foreign wheat
The London wheat trade on Monday last
was firm, but far from brisk. There was al
most complete stagnauon in demand for Aus
tralian and Indian wheat, the samples taken
being either English or red winter. Specula-
tive offers of the new Californian wheat crops
Were made at 4js. Cd. per Or, but by Friday
okmion had given way SO far that ASS were
quoted. The new arrivals of foreign wheat
5000 qrs, were rather large, and prices de-
clined Is per Or, with a very slow trade for all
sorts Arrivals OF flour equaled 1870 foreign
sacks and $3.50 barrels Inquiry was of avery
restricted character at barely previous prices.
The situation Of the wheat AMI flour trade was
marked by want of confidence on the part of
holders. The maze trade has continued IN
sellers favor at a majority of markets, al |
though with large supplies on passage and very
large exports from the United States. it is plain
that firmness is purely temporary, and has a
limit already well in view. Demand in Lon
don has tagged since Wednesday. The maize |
imports of the United Kingdom last week were /
5SdS24 cwt-, and decidedly short of current re-
agreements. Barley has been exceedingly in
Ell Supplies are small and demand languid |
Two or three markets have quoted, through
scarcity, slight advance in feeding sorts, but