Year: 1869

Effects of the Rain on the wheat of


Great Britain Estimated Quantity
and Quality OF the Crop.


From the Saturday Review.


The immense Importance to all classes
of the community of accurate and early
information as to the produce of the wheat
harvest induced us a month ago to put be-
fore our readers, alta period somewhat ear
lier than our wont, the best estimate we
could at that time form of the results of
the wheat harvest then being gathered
That opinion was formed Just when the
crop was in greatest jeopardy. Rain had
been filling for many days; great excite
ment prevailed in Mark Lane; and there is
no doubt that, if the rain had continued,
the country would have had to pay for It's
imported corn many millions sterling more
than now appears probable. The fine
weather, however, arrived at the very nick


of time and the crop has been for the
most part put under cover, paratiyely
dry and in good order but still not nearly
so dry as in really fine seasons; and it is
thought that, when the damp foggy days
of winter arrive, the Aew home grown
wheat will require large proportion of dry
foreign wheat to make it fit to grind, and to
produce -four that viii make good bread.


1t is said to produce "weak flour that
Is, IL HOuI vi IL littbIIty lteucloIb III gluten,
and, therefore, one that, when baked,


makes small loaves of close texture, in


stead of large loaves Of a spongy formation


and that gives less bread from certain
quantity of flour than when the -four is


s'strong," I" that is. rich in gluten. It is also
reported that the wheat produces less flour
I than in ordinary years; whether it be from
greater thickness OF skin, or that, from i'm
perfect drying, the flour adheres more
closely than usual to the coat. At any
rate, taking the two points together, skilled
persons assert that not less than five per
cent more weight of the wheat Of the 1863
crop than Of that of 1868 must be used to
produce given weight Of bread; and five
per cent on the consumption of the coun-
try is as nearly as possible a million quart
ers, so shat, trifiing as it seems, this def
cheney Of quality will cost the country at
present values, about two millions and q
half sterling, or twice and {. half as much


on wheat alone SIS the duty remitted by the
Chancellor of the Exchequer on all sorts
of corn, if that estimate be correct.
But the great question is as
to the yield Of the crop in
quantity, and we have reason to congratu-
late ourselves that, SO far as the facts have
been ascertained, they confirm the early
/ I'll II.
It is, however, even now very difficult
thing to come to decided conclusion on
the matter. The produce of the wheat
crop is SO very variable that not only III
districts perfectly dissimilar one from anoth-
er, but even in the same fields, planted at
| the same time, with the same seed, cultiva-
ted in all respects in the same way, one
part is found to yield abundantly, while in
another part the crop is complete failure;
and what is very annoying to those who
like to assign reasons for successes or for
failures, is that the cause of these differ
onceS cannot be aScertained. The quality
of the soil, the state Of the drainage, the
aspect, have all been suggested in vain as
explanations Of the mystery. We confess
we have no solution of the problem TO offer


The wet winter, proverbially bad for grow
ing wheat would affect all parts Of a field
alike; there may, however, have been some
differences in the time OF development Of
the plants, and the late frost may have af.
fected the plants in a forward stage while
those1nore backward may have escaped. But
however this may be there can be no doubt
that in the sum total the country has this
year most irregular crop of wheat And
it is also right to sag that the latest ac-
counts are perhaps less promising than the
earlier ones. While MIR. Meem reports an
average Of 4i bushels per acre on his farm
there are multitudes who say that their
threshinos have yielded less than twenty
bushels per acre, and some say that they
have not ten bushels. The lOudeSt com
plants, perhaps, come from the great corn
growing counties, Lincolnshire, Norfolk


and Suffolk. Mr.. Lawes, of Rothampstead


whose experimental fields have been found
to represent, in most years, the general
crop Of the country, says: ''The peculiar
feature of the 1869 crop is the remarkable
contrast which is to be seen in crops grow
ing side by side, and to all appearance cul-
tivated alike. Some fields present mag
nificent appearance, with height of straw
and bulk of produce rarely surpassed,
while others are thin and root-fallen.


These circumstances make it rather diff
cult to arrive at a definite figure which
shall most nearly represent the crop Of the
country" He draws the conclusion, from
the consideration of all his experimental
threshings, that ''the wheat crop of 1869 is
slightly below the average in quality, and
that it will be also deficient in quantity as
estimated by the weight per bushel." He
describes all his wheat crops, however, as
standing up at the time of cutting and
therefore he does not get into his account
the laid or root fallen crops which have
everywhere turned out to be the worstf
We consider the estimate too favorable


Mr.. Lawes appears to think that the acre
age under wheat is less than last year;
other authorities think the acreage may be
at least equal, if it be not greater, than last
year. 1t is an important point, and one
that ought to have been settled for the pub
lie by this time. The returns for Ire
land, taken in June, were issued last week,
and it does appear that there must
be great laXness in our Statistical De-
partment in failing to give at any
rate the gross totals of the most i'm
portant returns before the middle of Sep
tember And if this can be done in Ire
land, there can be no reason why it should
not be done in Great Britain. Ten per
cent. more or less acreage under wheat
means, with an average crop, nearly mil
lion and a half quarters more OF less grown
at home, and between three or four millions
sterling more or less to pay for foreign
wheat. But, whatever the acreage, the bal
ance Of testimony goes in favor Of an esti-
mate of the yield bearing a proportion to
an average certainly less than Mr.. Lawes'
estimate, which is as 27 to 26ad.