Morning Post 30 Jun 1856: poor barley crop

THE HAY HARVEST AND THE CROPS IN CAMBRIDGESHIRE. — The hay harvest has begun in earnest in our own district, and “in the hay-field” is the almost general answer as to the whereabouts of any labourer. We are happy to be enabled to state that the prospects of the proprietors are most cheering, and that there is prospect of plenty of grass food for the equine genus at low prices, which, however, the wight of the crop will render remunerative to the producer. Cutting commenced about ten days ago, but was somewhat retarded by the showers at the end of the week; these took the colour a little out of such as was down, but did not spoil it, there not being enough wet to extract the virtue; and altogether it will make remarkably good fodder. The after-crop is very promising, and the showers spoken of have done as much good to this, as harm to what was in the swath. These remarks apply to the clover also. Among the barleys there are a great many blacks or false-ears; in some pieces as much as one-forth of the crop is thus affected; a remarkable specimen of this may be seen between the stone-bridge and Trumpington, and a second at Stapleford. Barley, however, is reported a crop large enough to stand this drawback. Oats and wheat are very promising, the latter as regards both ear and straw. Wurtzel has failed in places. There is plenty of sheep-feed, the clover and trefoil being remarkably good. — Cambridge Chronicle.