THE HARVEST.
IT is quite clear that 1892 will not be numbered among the fat years in the agricultural calendar—at least, as far as this country is concerned. The fact of hay being one of the lightest crops ever grown is alone sufficient to settle that question, seeing that hay is produced on an area nearly equal to that of all the corn crops together ; while the grazed grasies and other forage crops, which are short when the portion cut for hay is poor, make up, with hay, about two-thirds of the cultivated area of the United Kingdom. In talking about the harvest, people are apt to forget that this is a pastoral country, and that it is becoming more and more so every year. The preliminary summary of the Agricultural Returns for Great Britain, issued by the Board of Agriculture a few days ago, shows a further decrease in the area under grain crops, the acreage of the wheat crop being smaller than it has been in any year of the century. The number of farmers whose interests are bound up with a good growth of grass and cultivated feeding crops is much greater than that of those who depend mainly upon corn for a living. The flock-master, the dairy farmer, the breeder of cattle, and the grazier, are all sufferers in such a season as this. There was no succulent food for the young lambs in the early spring ; nothing to promote a flow of milk in the dairy herds ; and no feed to induce graziers to buy lean stock to fatten, or to enable them to finish off economi- cally even the animals partly fattened during the winter. Then the shortness of the hay crop deterred farmers who do not breed from buying in their usual supplies of stock for keeping through next winter. The consequences are very low prices for fat and lean animals alike, and a great deficiency in the products of the dairy. The only hope of a partial remedy for these misfortunes lies in the chance of good root crops and a fair second growth of grass and clover for hay or feeding. The first result is still uncertain, and the second has been realised only to a partial extent. Therefore, the year 1892 would not have ranked high as a productive one if the corn crops had been ever so good ; although, of course, a bountiful grain harvest would have afforded a great measure of compensation to all farmers who have a considerable proportion of arable land. Un- fortunately, the season, or the main portion of it, was nearly as unfavourable to the growth of corn as to that of grass, as the numerous reports from all parts of the country, recently published in the agricultural and other papers, too clearly show. A bright and fairly warm summer does a great deal for the crops-; but it is not everything. It cannot increase the number of stalks in a crop, although it may promote the full development of those which exist, and bring forth fine ears filled with plump grain. This year a vast improve- ment in the appearance of all kinds of corn took place after June began, and a still greater improvement in July. But, owing to an unfavourable seed-time, the wheat crop, which is still the most important of the cereals in England, was never thick enough for a full yield on a large propor- tion of its area. The severe frosts of winter did no appreciable harm to the crop ; but the very cold spring stunted its growth, and rendered it very backward. There is reason to suspect now, too, that the extraordinary frosts which occurred in the middle of June prevented the proper fertilisation of the ears, especially in the early districts of the country, as there appears to be no other sufficient explanation of the blight which is generally complained of in the southern half of England, although, in some places, the defective condition of the ears is attributable to an attack of the corn aphis. Blight is a term which explains nothing. It merely signifies the imper- fect filling of the ears. When it is bad, many of the glumes are quite empty, while others contain shrivelled grain. It is produced by various causes, such as frost, or very wet and windy weather at the period of fertilisation, the imperfect nutrition of the plants, or the attacks of insects which suck up the juices needful for the maturing of the grain. Mildew is, in effect, a kind of blight, and is often so named ; but it is a specific parasitic disease, which blight, from other causes, is not. This year there is some mildew, but a great deal of blight where that disease does not exist. Even before these causes of deficiency were noticed, there was no expectation of a full yield of wheat, and now it is obvious that the production will be seriously deficient. All the returns on the harvest published during the last few weeks represent the crop as under average in a great majority of districts. Unlike wheat, all the other corn crops had a capital start. The frosts of winter had brought the land into an admirably friable condition, and the dryness of the spring enabled farmers to sow their barley, oats, beans, and peas under the most favourable circumstances. Unfortunately, drought and an unseasonably low temperature throughout the spring kept these crops from making normal progress, and although they recovered to some extent under the more favourable influences of the summer, barley alone grew into full development. The pea crop is a fair one, although it is put a little below average in the majority of the estimates ; while oats and beans are classed as very poor crops. Potatoes, like spring corn, were planted well, and flourished throughout the dry season, in spite of the frosts which damaged the tops in exposed situations, and especially in low-lying fields, where frost, on account of the dampness of the air, always does most injury. Until about three weeks ago, the crop was declared perfectly healthy. The fatal disease, which we never escape entirely, has now attacked it more or less in many parts of the Kingdom, but not as seriously as usual. Unless we should have a great deal of wet weather before the main crop is dug up, a great yield of tubers may be expected. The root crops have passed through many trials, but have greatly improved lately, and may be fairly abundant. At present, however, the only common farm crops which are above average in production are barley and potatoes. In the hop plantations, prospects are somewhat poor, though im- proved recently, insects and mould having done an immense amount of damage. The fruit harvest, again, has proved a meagre one on the whole, apples, pears, and plums being scarce.
Farmers declare that this year will be the worst they have experienced throughout the long period of depression, because, while they have a rather poor harvest, the prices of nearly everything they produce are extremely low. Wheat is under 30s. a quarter, and barley is likely to be cheap. Oats sell proportionately better, but are scarce, and other corn shares with wheat and barley in the depres- sion. Live stock and meat, as already stated, are very low in price ; sheep, for instance, being worth about 10s. a head less than they realised a year ago. A good crop of roots would improve the trade ; but this is not yet a cer- tainty. As to dairy produce, it is not cheaper than it has been in previous summers for some time past ; but the quantity is small.
As far as corn is concerned, there is not much reason to buoy farmers up with hopes of improved values. The Continental harvest is a fair one, as a whole, although not up to early expectations. It is estimated that the Con- tinent of Europe will require only about five million quarters of wheat from America, India, and other sources of supply, while the United Kingdom may do with about twenty-one million quarters, stocks in the country being heavy. Now, America alone, although the wheat crop of that country is much smaller than the immense one of last year, will have a surplus nearly sufficient for our needs, and other sources of supply will easily meet the Continental demand. India, it is true, has apparently but a small quantity of wheat to spare, the deficiency of her crop being greater than the usual exports, and, indeed, only about 900,000 quarters below the double exports of 1891-92. More may be spared than this state- ment indicates, because the Indian wheat surplus depends more upon the abundance of other food grains, upon which the natives mainly subsist, than upon the production of wheat itself. Still, the exports-of wheat from India must be comparatively small. But there are other countries to take into account, including Canada, the Argentine Republic, Australasia, and Persia, so that there is no doubt as to the European deficiency being easily met. It is to be feared, therefore, that British farmers will have a year of low returns. Fortunately, their rents and other expenses are greatly reduced, comparing them with those of more • prosperous times ; but still, we fear that com- paratively few of them will obtain a living profit as the result of a year's labour and expenditure.
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