22 AUGUST 1941, Page 11

COUNTRY LIFE

harvest Dream

What is a harvest? A standing crop or a crop safely gathered? [t seems to me there is a nice distinction. When the Prime Minister spoke some time ago of our magnificent harvest he was, with the greatest respect to him, counting his chickens. What be meant, no doubt, was that we had a magnificent cereal-crop. in between mid-July and mid-August anything may happen,

d unfortunately it has happened. By the time these notes ppear it will be no secret that the end of July and the early days August gave us some of the most disastrous harvest-weather r years. I can say nothing about the weather since ; but much

m is still not cut as I write ; fields of beans, cutting of which gan fifteen days ago, are still not finished ; peas, which have ad to be turned again and again, will probably be a wretched allure ; much flax-pulling has stopped ; harvest-hands have

ed to spudding thistles ; and we must face the fact that there e hay-crops that are not and now never will be gathered in. In country one of the commonest sayings is, " If we live and we good luck." Born of experience, it is used almost with everence to qualify any plan, hope or forecast about the future. oliticians should remember it. For when the full story of this ugust harvest is told it will not, I fear, be a politician's—or a amier's—dream.