The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-06-25
London Letter.
(From Our Regular Correspondent

LONDON, England, June II, 1881.
Few people can remember more delight
full spring than that which ends with the pres.
ent month 1t is true that the east wind pre-.
vailed for an unusually heightened period,
and returned again and again, until we began
to fear we should never get rid OF it; but the
unaccustomed treat Of days and weeks of sun
shine was so great as to enable as to put up
with the east wind and in the warmest part
of the day, even to forget 1t. Unfortunately,
the weather which has been so pleasant to
human beings has not been suitable to he
crops, either in the arabic or in the pastoral
districts. First, the drought has been extreme
and spring corn and pulse have been quite
unable 20 make their usual progress, while
pastures are hopelessly bare of what by this
time should be fine cut for scythe or NOV.
ing machine. Wheat Will bear almost any
amount of dry weather IN spring, and very
few showers afterwards will suffice to bring it
to a good crop, so that, at any rate on the
heavy lands, 1t is not 10 the drought that we
must attribute any deficiency in wheat, except
result of drought There have been sharp May
frosts, which have done much mischief in
field and IN garden, while the early portion of
what should have been spring was only a
IproongatIon of winter. AS is always the case
in dry, slow.growing period, too, wireworm
and other species of grub have worked much
mischief. Thus crops, which are more back
ward than | ever remember to have seen them
before, have been thInned by some Of the nu-
merous enemies that prey upon themt Wheat
is the only crop that can be said to be fairly
promising. 1t is very backward; but with a
suitable season, and harvest rather late than
early, | see no reason why it should not come
up to an average. Barley and oats, on the
other hand, are so extremely backward, and
in some districts SO defective in plant, that we
can scarcely imagine any season bringing
them up to fair standard. 1t is not too late
for the season to turn in favor of good root
crops For potatoes, where not up early and
injured by frost, the weather has been very ia
vorable. The hay crop must be extremely
deficient. Not only are permanent as well as
sown grasses and clovers very short and thin
but a large acreage Of the latter but for the
shortness of keep would have been saved for
hay, has been fed off, On the whole, the chan
ces of harvest which would to some extent
make up for the past losses are extremely
small. Indications point quite IN the oppo
site direction 1t is true that the warm show
cry weather OF the last few days is precisely
what was needed to help late crops to make
up for lost time; but the season for the next
three months must be exceptionally adapted
to the requirements of the crops to produce an
average all.round harvest
As to live stock, the shortness of feed, with
be reckoned as serious drawbacks to the pros
: perlty of breeders, graziers and dairy farmers
Such, then, Is the position of the British
farmer at the present jancture, taking gen
eral view of tie country. OF course there arr
Exceptional districts IN which the crops ar,
looking WELL There always are; but thes
little lands of Goshen count for next to moth
ing IN a general estimate
If as is only too probable, we should have
another poor general harvest, what will hap
, pen? Why, agricultural ruin must be NOR
widely spread than it is even now more farms
than ever will be uncultivated, or in the
f owners hands; and rents, already fallen IN al
but the most favored localities, must CONF
down with run. The time for temporary re
missions Is surely over. Quite apart from bat
seasons the increase of foreign competition il
: alone sufficient to depreciate rents,