Jasper County Democrat, Volume 14, Number 27, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 July 1911 — DRY IN IOWA, TOO. [ARTICLE]

DRY IN IOWA, TOO.

Allen Louks Writes of Crop Conditions About Maxwell. Allen Louks, formerly of Jasper county, writes The Democrat under recent date as follows : Dear Sir:—lt is very hot and dry here. We have our w’ork all done, early oats cut and hay put up. The late oats yet to cut and they are very light, hurt by the hot weather. The hay crop is light, not a half ton to the acre in some parts. Early oats hurt to some extent and the late oats can’t make more than one-fourth crop. What oats I have I contracted last month for 38c per bushel. All last summer I thought it was very dry, but oats were good and corn fair. The hot winds hit us last -eek and on the 3d of this month we got another little dip, so one cap look over the corn fields and see lots of the top blades dead and brown. Although corn is most all in tassel and looks fine considering the dry, hot weather. This morning the news went over the wire that the thermometer at 10 o’clock stood at 108 in the shade, so the Hoosiers who read The Democrat can see it is pretty warm in lowa. I believe yesterday, the 4th, was the hottest day I ever experienced until, today. At half past eleven I was pretty near all in and two others with me on the porch. One was overcome by the heat, but rallied. Yesterday three of my boys attended the 4th at a town east of us seven miles and said they never saw people suffer as they did there on the ground. One of my neighbors was up

to our county seat, eight miles north, and reports the city well had gone dry, the first time since it was put down 42 years ago, and the first time to ever show any indications. So Nevada, our county seat, is dry for sure. The saloons are gone and the neighbors say you can’t get a bottle of pop in the town it is so dry. But at our town, Maxwell, you can get root beer and pop, and the druggist might put in other stuff, too. For some drug stores are not to good to have a blind p’s; hid in the rear corner. One can see men in our town that are said to be dry, intoxicated—whether on soda water or strawberry or other soft drinks, I don’t know. Yes, better news follows—it thundered once when I sat down to drop a few lines to The Democrat and now out of a small cloud that has come up quickly is just a regular downpour of rain. Now, Mr. Editor, maybe you think us Hawkeyes by adoption but Hoosiers by birth are not enjoying the blessing we will receive from this bountiful rain. Respectfully,ALDEN LOUKS.