Democratic Sentinel, Volume 15, Number 33, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 September 1891 — ICE IN WHEAT FIELDS. [ARTICLE]

ICE IN WHEAT FIELDS.

GLOOMY REPORTS FROM THE NORTHWEST. w Futile Efforts to Dissipate the Frosts by Building Fires—*lh‘« Damatt Wldesprea I, Affecting Mlnne ota, Dakota, and Manitoba—Harvesting Hardly Fairly Commenced. Seven Degr e« Below Freezing. The reports which come from the North Dakota wheat fields arc of a discouraging character At Cooperstown, Griggs County, there was a heavy freeze, ice forming a quarter of an inch thick. Late grain is cooked, and wheat in shock and in process of cutting is damaged. The thermometer reached the freezing point at midnight, and at 10 in the morning stood at 25 degrees. Farmers generally had placed st aw on the nortle side of the fields, and most everybody sat up all night and tended their smudres, but it wsts of no use, for what 11 tie breeze there was came from tho south and carried the smoke In the wrong direction. About 25 per cent of the grain is in shock. The thermometers ran down to 28 at several points in Ramsey County, and ice was found on the heads of wheat in many fields Smudge fir s were not started until late in tho n ght, and it is feared they did little good. About 50 per cent, of the grain is cut in that r gion. Villages along tho northern border report that tho temperati.ro was in places not much above 20. It was 28 at Pembina, 24 at Hol o, 86 at Cando, and 30 at St. John. It was cloudy, however, at the last two points named. Manitoba reports are black. Every point in the province shows that the temperature was from 28 to 27. The wheat there is still in the milk, and a large percentage of It will be a total loss. Oliver Daliymple, North Dakota's great wheat-grower, said, on the condition of the crops, that he estimated the frost had destroyed about one-seventh of the entire wheat and oats crop in tho Red River Valley from Fargo to the Brit sh possessions. The last freeze would, of course, reduce the figures, Ind ho feared onesixth of tho crop would be destroyed. On the n ght of the first frost one«half of the wheat acreage had been untouched by the harvester. He says that Ml the wheat uncut at that time has had what is called a “brand" frost. This wheat will be equally as good for mßing purposes as No 1 hard, but tho farmers will receive a grade lower. In explaining tho action of the frost on the uncut wheat he said the amont of damage would altogether dope d on the condition of the wheat berry at tho time of the frost The wheat standing which had turned to dough but had not ilpened would rot bo materially injured by this severe frost. It would only result in corrugating the surface of the grain, which would destroy its brightness and cause it to lese a grade. The wheat in the milk would be an entire loss whenever there was a frost below 32 degrees. Tho straw would turn to yellow and might deceive even the most Experienced farmer, but the grain would never pass out of its milk state A Duluth dispatch says: Board of Trade men received reports from North Dakota that frost seriously injured late sown wheat throughout the State, while letters about the prior frost indicate that more damage was dona than had previously been estimated. A Church’s Ferry, N. D., report says: The thermometer registered 28. Ice was found on the heads of wheat in many fields. Farmers tried smudge fires to a largo extent, but some think they did not commence soon enough, some of them waiting till almost freezing point before starting the fires. About 50 per cent of the grain Is cut and half of the balance is ripe. There is no frost at Cando or St John, but it was heavy at Rolla. At St Vincent, N. D., it was 32 degrees, the same as the former cold snap, but there was apparently a much heavier frost About 70 per cent of the crop is harvested. At Pemb na, N. D., it was four degrees below freezing. All over Manitoba the damage Is formidabia The thermometer was from two to five degrees below freezing all over the province. A great quantity of tho wheat is still green.