Democratic Sentinel, Volume 3, Number 33, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 September 1879 — The Crops in Europe. [ARTICLE]

The Crops in Europe.

Mr. Dans, of the New York Hun, sends from London the following result of his observations of the crops in Great Britain and the continent of Europe: + This year nature is against the British farmer. The season has been disastrous from the beginning, and there is now oo hope that it will end in anything but calamity. Rains have fallen incessantly. The crops, even the best of them, havo nowhere attained more than a middling growth, and now the continued floods destroy all expectation of an average product in any part of the British islands. Ireland is much better oft; yet even there, in many parts, the people are likely to suffer severely for want of food during the coming winter. On the continent the situation is much less gloomy; but in France, in Western Switzerland, in Southern Germany, and in Holland it is still a bad season. The general state of the different crops may be summarily described as follows: Hay—lnferior in Ireland, very bad indeed in England, poor in France, better in Switzerland, ana in Southern Germany and Holland about the same as in France. Oats—A wretched crop in every country where I have been. In Ireland and in England they are hardly worth harvesting; in France and the other parts of the continent to which I have referred, perhaps good enough to pay the expenses of harvesting. Lucerne and millet—Poor everywhere. Potatoes—Quite as poor as the oats—everywhere a bad crop. In Ireland especially, and in France, poorer than any other crop. A good potato will bo a rarity in all these portions of Europe for a year to come. The failure of the Eotato is, in fact, as nearly complete as possilo and leave any potatoes at all; and this is the case wherever my observation has extended. Wheat—Poorest of all in England and Ireland, whore I should say the yield cannot pay more than half its cost. In France there will be perhaps three-quarters of a good averago, and that country will bo able to furnish its own bread for the coming year. The same is true of Western Switzerland, Southern Germany, and Holland. But the United Kingdom will have to seek for its supplies elsewhere. The only crop that seems to me at all satisfactory is that of vetches, of which, so far as I can judge, the yield is likely to bo tolerable. In Russia, on the other hand, an immense wheat crop is reported, and heavy purchases have been made there on Western account. Yet one whoat harvest or a dozen of them will not ruin Eugland. TIIE MAIIK LANE EXPRESS’ REVIEW. The Mark Lane Eupr/ sx, of London, in its last review (Sept. 17) of the British grain trade, says: The few samples of now wheat exhibited in Mark Lane have been wretchedly poor, both in quality and condition. A groat deal of barley is a'so so stained as to be unavailable for malting. From two and one-half to three quarters per acre seems to bo the average yield of wheat, with, perhaps, some reservation in favor of oats. All spring crops are, to a great extent, failures, and peas most especially, while the root-crops are but little better. Trade has been quiet. Sellers have shown little desire to press sales, being encouraged by the certainty that the home crop is lamentably deficient, while ihe visible supply iu America is diminished. Though a rise is hoped for by sellers before long, it is impossible to ignore the fact that America must control the prices for the present cereal year, although it is more than probable that the continental requirements will absorb a largo proportion of the available surplus which at present-threatens to glut the United Kingdom markets