Jasper County Democrat, Volume 4, Number 17, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 August 1901 — CORN BELT IS SOAKED [ARTICLE]

CORN BELT IS SOAKED

DRENCHING RAINS FALL IN FIVE STATES. Lorg Drought Is Broken—Millions of Dollars Will Be Saved to the Farmers 4>C the Southwest—New Life for All Vegetation, The great drought in the com belt la broken. Drenching tains, falling steadily for hours Sunday and Sunday night, redeemed the parched fields and in a large section the grain from the withering, sun and winds of the last forty days. The clouds broke over the Southwestern States early Sunday morning and the rain came down in torrents in places and in drizzling continuous showers in others. Weather officiate and crop experts were agreed Monday that the dry spell is gone. Continued rain was predicted for Monday and probably Tuesday throughout the entire corn belt except In its extreme western portion and Southern Indiana and Southern Ohio. The com crop of lowa is saved, and in other Western States, where the stalks have been fired and hope abandoned for a harvest, the rain has assured a big crop of late feed. This will menu won- c ders for the stoek raisers and will check the. sale of stock materially. , The rain was general throughout lowa, Missouri, Nebraska and Kansas. Here and there it was accompanied by thunderstorms, and in these spots the water flooded tho fields. Elsewhere, undisturbed by heavy winds, it had time to soak into the soil and be absorbed. lowa was the most fortunate, and throughout the State an average of one inch of rain was reported Sunday night. The corn, having endured a briefer hot apell than in other States and being later, has been revived so far that crop experts say the farmers will harvest fully 75 per cent of on average crop. The sain, by a close estimate, was worth at least $6,000,000 to the producers otf the State. Kansas Takes Hope. In Kansas the stock raisers were most benefited, for by reliable reports the corn has suffered so much from the drought that the crop has been given up as practically a total loss. The farmers of the western half of the State agree that the Stalks had been fired for a foot aboft’e the ground and that all of yesterday’s rain and aU that may come cannot revive it. But the rush for kaffir corn, turnip, buckwheat and other seeds has already begun. This will be drilled in between tLe rows, and insures a good crop of late feed after the corn is harvested. Pastures and range grass have taken on a new growth, and this wilt, it is expected, check the sale of cattle and hogs, because of the certain prospects of a big supply of feed. Optimistic reports Monday announced that the State would raise enough buckwheat for the world. The rain was continuous for forty-eight hours, and in the eastern half averaged two inches." In the western half the com las been most damaged, and Tiere, too, the rainfall was less, although the district shared in the general drenching of the State. In Missouri practically the same conditiors prevail. Six weeks of drought have ruined the corn, but the stalks will be saved for fodder, and the late crop* of feed should be as large as in Kansas. Nebraska got from one-half to twothirds inches, distributed fairly. In places half a crop will probably be harvested, but in some sections the ground is baked, and the stalks are fired. Especially in the vicinity of Beatrice the ground was so hard that great pools of water are left in the fields. The wells and streams are filling up rapidly. Only the northern half of Illinois was tffthin Sunday’s rain belt. The"great corn-growing section of the central southern and southern district remained dry, but the temperature has moderated. In Ohio the rAin will reduce the loss and insure quantities of late feed for ■tock. Indiana also received encouraging showers.