VOL. XXVIII.
1>X
INDIANAPOLIS. IND., JULY 29, 1893.
WEATHER CROP BULLETIN.
Department of Agriculture United Stales
Weather Bureau. Crop Bulletin of the Indiana Weather Service in Co-operation
With the Agricultural Experiment Station
at Purdue University, Tuesday, July 25,
1893.
The temperature during the past week
averaged near the normal, while the sunshine was excessive. Iiocal rains fell over
portions of southern and central Indiana
during the early days of the week and
greatly benefited the growing crops. The,
weather was favorable for wheat threshing
which progressed rapidly and reports are
almost unanimous in indicating a yield
good both in quantity and quality. The
oats crop, which is being cut, is also excellent, and hay was saved in fine condition. ' Potatoes and corn are suffering
severely from drouth in most sections of
northern and central Indiana. Potato
bugs are doing some injury and rust has
been noted in the late oats. Pastures are
very dry and vegetables are in poor condition. In the southern portion of the State,
corn, potatoes and tobacco are generally in
good - condition. Reports indicate that
there is promise of an excellent melon
crop, but fruit is falling from the trees
and apples, especially, will be very light.
SOUTHERN PORTION. •
_ Switzerland- Co.—The weather throughout the week was favorable for wheat harvesting the crop being gathered in the best
possible condition; threshers are busy in
all parts of the county, and the grain is
already being shipped to distant markets;
the yield ranges from 16 to 32 bushels to
the acre; the hay crop is excellent; corn
and tobacco are in promising condition,
and a good potato crop is predicted; the
fruit crop will be light; no rainfall at
Vevay.
"Warrick Co.—Much hay was put up in
good condition during the week; corn is
growing rapidly; potato bugs are numerous; rainfall at De Gonia Springs, 1.23.
Franklin Co.—Farmera are. in the midst
of wheat threshing; corn is making a rapid
growth, and the^e is promise of an average crop.   No rainfall at Brookville.
Dubois Co.—Oats, corn and early potatoes are in excellent condition; hay making is about over, the yield being about
two-thirds of an average crop; wheat
yields from ten to twenty-four bushels
per acre.   No rainfall at Jasper.
Posey Co.—A large amount of good
wheat has been threshed; heavy rains fell
during the week, and prospects are favorable for a large crop of corn and potatoes;
grass is growing rapidly, and stock is in
good condition. Rainfall at Mount Vernon 2.20.
Gibson Co.—"Wheat threshing is progressing rapidly, with a fair yield; corn is
in good condition, and early potatoes are
doing well; apples are falling from the
trees and the plum crop is a failure. Rainfall at Princeton, 0.50.
Vanderburg Co.—The weather during
the past week has been all that could be
desired for threshing and general farm
work; a heavy rain fell on the 20th inst.,
and corn, potatoes and pastures were
greatly benefited; corn is in excellent
condition on the uplands; the hay crop is
large and of excellent quality; apples are
falling from the trees and fruit of all
kinds will be scarce. • Rainfall at Evansville, 0.75.
Decatur Co.—Corn, oats, pastures, late
potatoes, blackberries and all growing
vegetables have been greatly damaged by
the drouth; the wheat yield is excellent,
some fields yielding 30 bushels to the acre.
No rainfall at Greensburg.
Jefferson Co.—The rains of the past week
greatly benefited corn, potatoes, vegetables and pastures; tbe hay has all been
saved in good condition; the wheat yield
is far above the average; there-is alight
crop of berries and fruits, pears excepted;
the general outlook for crops in this
county was never more favorable; rainfall
at Madison 0.46.
Crawford Co.—During the latter part of
the week the weather was favorable for
farm work; rainfall at Marengo 0.44.
Jackson Co.—The temperature has been
favorable for the growth of corn and vines;
wheat threshing is progressing rapidly
though many are stacking their wheat,
hoping for better prices; melons will be
abundant and unusually fine; the oats and
hay crops are heavy and of excellent quality; no rainfall at Seymour or Brownstown.
Perry Co.—The dry weather is proving
injurious to corn, pastures and gardens.
No rainfall at Troy.
Bartholomew Co.—Favorable weather
for wheat threshing prevailed; some fields
have yielded 42 bushels to the acre; if the
weather continues dry there will not be a
full crop of corn; the oats crop is about
one-half as large as the average, and
timothy hay is light also.. No rainfall at
Waynes ville.
Clarke Co.—Showers on the 15th inst.
revived all growing crops for a few days,
but now they are again wilted; there is a
small crop of early potatoes; the threshers
report the yield and quality of wheat not
so good as we expected; fruit is very
scarce.   No rainfall at Henryville.
Greene Co.—Corn, potatoes and vegetables are being seriously damaged by the
drouth, and gardens and pastures are drying up; everyone who can secure a machine is threshing wheat; there is an average crop of oats, while the hay crop averages about 75 per cent; apples and peaches
are very scarce. Rainfall at Worthington,
0.05.
Dearborn Co.—Corn potatoes, pastures
and gardens are in need of rain; oats are
in shock; the hay crop was good in quality
but light; berries are extremely small and
the crop will be light. No rainfall at
Lawrenceburg.
Pike Co.—The wheat yield is good; hay
harvest is about completed; corn and potatoes are suffering from.drouth. Rainfall
at Petersburg, 0.10.
Jennings Co.—The wheat yield ranges
from 12 to 24 bushels to the acre; some
plowing for wheat is being done. Rainfall at Butlerville, 0.05.
__awrence Co.—All crops were harvested
in splendid condition; the weather has
been slightly injurious to corn and potatoes.   Rainfall at Bedford, trace.
Floyd Co.—All growing crops are suffering from drouth; wheat, oats and hay
were secured in first-class condition;wheat
threshing is still in progress, the yield being excellent; grapes have rotted badly;
fruit is generally in poor condition, but
peaches are fairly good. Rainfall at New
Albany, 0.06.
Owen Co.—The wheat yield is fully up
to expectations; the dry weather is having
a bad effect on corn and late potatoes. No
rainfall at Spencer.
CENTRAL TORTION.
Randolph Co.—The heavy rain on the
llth inst. was very beneficial to the growing corn, which is now in splendid condi
tion; there is much disappointment over
the wheat yield; a full crop of oats is being cut, and a fair crop of timothy has
been saved; potatoes, pastures, vines and
garden truck are in good condition; all
farm work is well advanced. No rainfall
at Farmland.
Johnson Co.—The weather was pleasant
for farm work; wheat threshing continues, the grain being fairly good; much
wheat is being stacked; a fair crop of oats
is in shook; in some fields corn is suffering severely from drouth, but tomatoes
are in good condition. Rainfall at Franklin, 0.20.     ,
Fayette Co.—Wheat threshing is being
vigorously pushed; there is a fair yield of
good grain; corn is in good condition; pastures are brown and dry. Rainfall at Connersville 0.61.
Wayne Co.—Oats have yielded above the
average; corn is tasseling; tobacco is in
good condition where rain fell; tomatoes
will be late and exposed to frost; late potatoes promise well; some fields, however,
are badly infested with bugs; pastures are
up.   Rainfall at Cambridge City 0.36.
Rush Co.—Corn is silking under favorable weather conditions; the oats crop is
harvested; wheat averages 20 to 30 bushels
per acre.   Rainfall at Mauzy 0.14.
Marion Co.—Much wheat has been
threshed with good results; corn is in need
of rain; a good crop of oats is being harvested.   Rainfall at Indianapolis, trace.
Hendricks Co.—Pastures are very dry
and corn has been greatly injured by the
drouth; the wheat has all beeu harvested
and a portion threshed with good results.
No rainfall at Danvii'.<i.
Clay Co.—The hay harvest is just ending and wheat threshing is well under way
with an average yield; no rain has fallen
since June, and corn is beginning to suffer;
no fall breaking has yet been done. No
rainfall at Ashboro.
Union Co.—Wheat, oats and hay were
harvested in splendid condition; wheat
will probably yield from 18 to 20 bushels
per acre; there is a splendid crop of
melons.   Rainfall at liberty, trace.
NORTHERN PORTION
La Porte Co.—The weather has been
favorable for stacking and threshing
wheat; corn, oats, potatoes and pastures
are suffering severely from drouth; the
oats crop is nearly ready to cut. Rainfall
at Hatch's Mills, 0.25.
Tippecanoe Co.—The weather has been
much cooler and the light rains were of
much benefit to the corn, which shows decided improvement; a fair crop of oats has
been cut; another heavy rain would insure
a good corn crop in this country. Rainfall 1.09.
Fulton Co.—The wheat crop is all in
stacks; a few farmers have threshed their
crops and report a full yield; the rainfall
in this country during the past two weeks
has been badly distributed, and corn, potatoes, oats and gardens have been greatly
injured.   No rainfall at Rochester.
Newton Co.—Considerable damage has
been done by the continued dry weather,
eight weeks having passed without rain;
the oats harvest is in progress; the heads
are large, but the berry has been shrunken
by drouth; corn, vegetables and berries
have suffered severely. No rainfall at
Kentland.
Whitley Co.—A full crop of wheat of excellent quality is being threshed; in some
portions of the county com and potatoes
are nearly destroyed; in tho bottoms, however, corn still looks fairly well; there are
no vegetables on the market. Rainfall at
Columbia City, 0.80.
Steuben Co.—The wheat yield is good,
both in quantity and quality; the dry
weather has been injurious to the growing
crops.   No rainfall at Angola.
Kosciusko Co.—The intense heat was
generally damaging to corn, potatoes, gardens and pastures; the oats  crop is ready
to harvest;   wheat threshing is in progress.   No rainfall at Warsaw.
Allen Co.—The wheat yield averages,
about twenty-one bushels to the acre, the
grain being excellent in quality; a good
crop of early oats has been cut; rust has
been noted in the late oats, and the crop
will probably be a failure; potato bugs
and dry weather have injured the potato
crop.   No rainfall at Thurman.
Cass Co.—The rainfall was badly distributed; the corn crop is in bad condition,
and there will not be a full crop; oats have
been harvested in fair condition; the hay
crop was large. Rainfall at Logansport,
0.50.
Porter Co.—All growing crops have been
damaged by the dry weather; wheat harvesting and hay making are about completed; iu some sections of the country
grapes are rotting. No rainfall at Valparaiso.
Elkhart Co.—The ground is very dry
and corn is beginning to wilt; the wheat
that is being threshed is of superior
quality, and the oats crop will be fair;
there is promise of an immense grape
crop; berries will be short, owing to the
drouth.   No rainfall at Goshen.
LaGrange Co.—A fair crop of oats is
ready for the sickle; the wheat yield is
good in quality, but poor in quantity;
corn is in good condition. No rainfall at
LaGrange.
H. A. Huston,
Director Indiana Weather Service.
Per Edward E. Paddock,
Weather Bureau Acting Asst. Director.
LIME AND PHOSPHATE OH" LAHD.
A practical farmer says his experience is
that about 200 bushels of air-slaked lime
is the quantity per acre for clay lands, de
ficient in same, and writes the Country
Gentleman as follows on these fertilizers:
"Last spring I limed an eight-acre, and
put on 1,000 bushels of not slaked lime.
The field was plowed in the fall (clover
sod). In spring it was laid off with a harrow both ways, and at each crossing half
a bushel of lime was dropped. After it
was air-slaked it was spread with a shovel.
Here is the danger point, because when
the lime gets too much rain before being
spread it is spoiled. I do not recommend
this way of putting it on, but next spring
I will slake it before hauling it out, and
sow it with a phosphate grain drill, the
gum hose taken off, to get it evenly distributed. Putting on 100 bushels in this way
would be an endless job, and I will try it
once with 50 bushels of slaked lime to the
acre, and sowing it with a drill will increase the effect considerably, as it will
be well spread.
It would be interesting and profitable to
hear from other parties who have limed,
and to learn their way of putting it on,
and., quantity used. We farmers must
learn a good deal yet, and I think some
things we shall never find out. So, for instance, about phosphate. Last summer I
had three fields of wheat; on all the same
kind of phosphate was used. The first field
is more stiff soil, and no effect at all could
be seen from the phosphate, either on the
wheat, or now on the young grass. The
second field is slate land, and there was no
effect from phosphate on grass or wheat.
The third field joins the first, and has
about the same kind of soil, and here the
effect of phosphate was remarkable, as the
strip of wheat sowed without phosphate
was very bad, and has almost no grass on
it now. This third field would have been
a total failure without phosphate, but it
had a fine crop on it, and it paid for all the
phosphate of the three fields, besides the
profit.
The wheat crop of France is now estimated at 300,000,000 bushels, and the annual consumption is about 340,000,000.