FARM NOTES FROM ENGLAND„

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVII, Issue 8422, 25 November 1890, Page 3

FARM NOTES FROM ENGLAND„

[BV OUR ENGLISH AGRICULTURAL CORRESPOND WENT.] London, October 4. AUTUMN WORK. Now thab harvest has been finished in all but the very latest districts, such as tho Highlands of Scotland and a few other hill districts, farmers are turning their attention to the preparation of the land for next season's crops, to the raising of potatoes, and to the sowing of rye, winter vetches, winter beans, and winter oats and barley, whero these crops are grown. Wheat-sowing has hardly begun, bub a good deal of land has been ploughed for the work, and it will bo proceeded with as soon as more urgent! operations ara finished. It is of great importance to get in rye and winter vetches for early spring feed, whether grown together or separately, as soon as possible after tho end of September, if not a libtlo sooner. Winter beans, too, do best when planted early, in that they become strong before frost comes to c'ncck growth. Trifolium, a crimson clover, should be sown early in September; bub this year tho stubbles, in which the seed is usually drilled, were too bard till about a fortnight ago, when rain fell after three weeks of hob and dry weather. Such a September as we have had is extremely uncommon. Ido not remember one like it, though it is said that

there was a similarly warm and sunny month in 1872. Farmers have been able to fallow land after grain crops with unusual efficacy, and thousands of weedy fields have been well cleaned by cultivation. Even the present week has been more like August than October, except for the chilly nights and early mornings. Unfortunately, from one point of view, tho weather has been very suitable for thrashing, and an extraordinary quantity of English wheat has been offered in the markets, while foreign has come to us in large quantity also. During tho last two or three weeks our home and foreign supplies of bread-stuffs have been about double the consumption, and trade, under such circumstances, could scarcely fail to bo dull. Prices have fallen seriously, as might have been expected, although there is a general impression that supplies will bo short later on, and if the temporary glut on the market could have been prevented, wo should not have seen any fall at all. * Tho average price of wheat last week was 3ls 6d per quarter, as compared with 3Gs Gd in tho week ending August 1(5, when the top average of the season was j reached. Threo weeks ago the average was 3s higher than it is now. New Zealand large berry is quoted at 36s to 375, and round berry at 35s to 3Gs, while the top price of best English wheat is 38s, and red is 31s to 355. In consequence of the prevalence of disease in potatoes the prices of these tubers are higher than they have been in recent years ; but the crop in Scotland and many parts 'of England and Ireland is turning out much bettter than it was expected to be, as the dry weather of September checked the disease.