VOL. XXVIII.
INDIANAPOLIS. IND.  AUG. 5, 1893.
NO. 31.
WEATHER CROP BULLETIN.
Department of Agriculture United States
Weather Bureau. Crop Bulletin of the Indiana Weather Service in- Co-operation
With the Agricidtural Experiment Station
at Purdue University, Tuesday, August 1,
1893.
The temperature and sunshine during
the week were excessive, and although
local rains prevailed over the State on the
26th inst, temporarily benefiting the growing corn and late potatoes, crops were reported at the end of the week as suffering
from drouth, except in portions of Southern Indiana. The dry weather has affected
the crops most severely in the Northern
portion of the State,and reports from some
of the northern counties indicate that the
oats crop will be almost an entire failure.
Wheat threshing is about completed, and
plowing for fall wheat has commenced In
some sections of the State. Late reports
say that the quality of the grain is very
good, but the yield is not so large as was
expected. Without exception pastures
are reported as very short and dry, and in
some instances farmers have been compelled to feed their stock as in winter.
Late potatoes, already suffering from
drouth,'have been injured by bugs in all
sections of the State. Reports again indicate that the melon crops will be unusually largaand flue. Pears aro in.better
condition than other fruits, and grapes
have evidently suffered but little injury
from the dry weather.
SOUTHERN PORTION.
Switzerland Co.—All growing crops are
suffering from drouthjtobacco needs moisture badly, and the crop will probably be
short; corn is in fair condition, but cannot
long resist the effects of the drouth; crop
prospects are not nearly so flattering as
they were one month ago; a light thunder
storm passed over the county of the 25th
inst.   Rainfall at Vevay, 0.10.
Franklin Co.—During the past week the
weather continued favorable for threshing; a local rain on Thursday was advantageous to corn and grass; corn is growing
rapidly on the uplands, but along the
river bottoms it is too dry; the potato crop
is good; blackberries are plentiful; rainfall
at Brookville, 0.35.
Jefferson Co.—Wheat, clover, and timothy were all harvested in good condition;
moderate showers fell on the 26th inst,and
corn, tobacco and potatoes were greatly
benefited; all crops will soon be out of
danger.   Rainfall at Madison, 0 63.
Dubois Co.—The week was dry and sultry, and proved injurious to corn and late
potatoes; late corn is in faircondition;hog-
cholera is prevalent fn the county, and
many hogs are dying. No rainfall at Jasper.
Greene Co.—Corn, potatoes, grass, and
all vegetation were much benefited by
heavy showers on the 25th and 2iith; wheat
threshing is well advanced; there is some
complaint of shriveled wheat, but the
quality is generally good, and the yield
large; corn on the uplands will be light.
Rainfall at Worthington, 1.37.
.Warrick Co.—Potatoes and corn aro suffering from drouth; pastures are very
short and dry; threshing is well advanced.
No rainfall at DeGonia Springs.
Posey Co.—Corn is in good condition;
the melon crop is large and fine. Rainfall at Mount Vernon, 0.57.
Crawford Co.—Corn, potatoes and pastures were benefited by a refreshing
shower on the 26th inst; wheat threshing
is in progress, and the yield is large and of
good quality; hay is nearly all made.
Rainfall at Marengo, 0.25.
Seymour—Heavy showers have broken
the drouth and all growing crops
are in fine condition; the wheat has all
been threshed, and the harvesting of hay
and oats is completed; the melon crop is
ripening rapidly, and the yield will be
abundant; many farmers are holding
their wheat for an advance in price; plowing for wheat has commenced, and the
usual acreage will be sown; the crop outlook, fruit excepted, is very promising
Rainfall, 0.02.
Brownstown—The weather has been
favorable for the growth of corn; a heavy
rain on the night of the 2Gth inst. was of
much benefit to the growing corn; the
wheat is nearly all threshed; flies are so
numerous during the day that it has been
found advisable to do all grazing at night.
Rainfall, 1.00.
Gibson Co.—The wheat yield is not altogether satisfactory, being much below the
average of last year; corn is suffering from
the drouth, and pastures are very dry;
live stock, however, is in good condition;
water in wells and cisterns is very low.
Rainfall at Princeton, 0.40.
Vanderburg Co.—The wheat yield averages about 22 bushels to the acre; the excessively hot weather was not favorable
to farm work; corn and late potatoes are
in need of rain; a severe electric storm
passed over the county on the 30th inst.
Rainfall at Evansville, 0.50.
Perry Co.—Corn and late potatoes are
suffering greatly from drouth; pastures
are very short and meadows are burning
up; wheat threshing is s(ill in progress,
with an average yield of 10 to 15 bushels
to the acre; the quality is very good. No
rainfaU at Troy.
Decatur Col—The weather has been hot
and dry, except on the morning of the
26th inst., when a local shower temporarily revived the corn and vegetables;
these crops are again in poor condition;
pastures are dried up, and those who cannot use their wheat and oats stubble fields
are compelled to .feed their stock as in
winter; wheat and oats are about all
threshed; both yield a crop in excess of
the average; with the exception of pears
and cherries, the fruit crop is a failure.
Rainfall at Greensburg, 0 35.
Bartholomew Co.—No rain has fallen
during the past two weeks, and the ground
is very dry; the corn is in bad condition
and unless rain falls soon there will not
be more than one-half or one-third of an
average crop; some farmers aro feeding
wheat to their hogs, it being cheaper than
corn.   No rainfall at Waynesville.
Lawrence Co.—Excessive temperature
and sunshine; all growing crops look bad
on account of dry weather. Kainfall at
Bedford, 0.67.
Dearborn Co.—In the northern part they
had a good rain on the 26th, other portions
but few light showers; corn is Buffering
for-want of rain; harvesting is finished in
good shape; wheat is generally yielding
about 20 bushels per acre; berries are almost a complete failure; tobacco looks
bad; pastures are getting short and in some
places water is becoming scarce; a good
rain would make an immense amQunt of
corn.   RainfaU at Lawrenceburg. 0.33.
CENTRAL TORTION.
Randolph Co.—Favorable weather for
farm work prevailed during the week;
corn was greatly benefited by rains on the
20th inst., and is growing rapidly, a large
crop being assured; late potatoes have
beea greatly injured by bugs; a large
amount of wheat is being stacked. Rainfall at Farmland, not known.
Johnson Co.—The weather has been very
warm, with much sunshine and little rain;
there has not been a heavy rain since the
21st of June; the ground is very dry, and
corn has been greatly damaged; on some
clay ground the crop is ruined, the lower
blades having dried up; on black ground
the crop is in much better condition; potatoes have also been seriously injured by
the drouth; pastures are very dry; grapes
have apparently not been much affected
by the dry weather, and are in good condition.   Rainfall at Franklin, 0.30.
Montgomery Co.—The drouth has been
more or less injurious to all growing
crops; a heavy rain fell Friday night,
however, which will probably prove very
beneficial.   RainfaU at Ladoga, 0.70.
Boone Co.—Wheat threshing nearly
completed, the crop being fair; all other
crops have been injured by the excessive
drouth; several times since the last of May
we have thought the drouth ended, but
the rains suddenly ceased before the supply was sufficient; rainfall at Lebanon,
trace.
Hendricks Co.—The wheat crop is about
all threshed, the quality being good; pasture, are very dry, and water in wells and
cisterns is low; corn is suffering from
drouth.   Rainfall at Danville, trace.
Marion Co.—The temperature and sunshine were above the normal; showers on
the 25th, 26th and 30th were of temporary
benefit to tho growing com, but the crop
is in need" of more rain. RainfaU at Indianapolis, 0.46.
Fayette Co.—Rain is needed very badly;
rainfaU at Connersville, 0.27.
Wayne Co.—There will be only one-half
an average crop of oats, with the grain
poorly rilled, owing to black rust; clover
is thin and sunburnt; tobacco is in good
condition/wherever rain fell; the grape-rot,
which was bad, has ceased; blackberries
are generally plentiful and of good quality;
in many places no rain has fallen for some
time and corn ' is suffering. Rainfall at
Cambridge City, 0.29.
NORTHERN PORTION
Allen Co.—Potatoes have been seriously
damaged by bugs; corn is suffering severely, but it is very clean; the late oats
crop is a failure; reports from the northeastern portion of the county indicate that
thore will not be more than half a crop of
corn and potatoes; the wheat crop is good,
the average hero being about 18 bushels to
tho acre. Rainfall at Thurman not known.
LaPorte Co.—The oats-crop, which is being cut, has suffered from lack of moisture; in the northern*, portion of the
county the yield is light, but the quality
is good; although the ground is very dry
the corn is in good condition; potato bugs
have disappeared; there will be a very
light crop of apples, and in some orchards
the crop will be a complete failure. Rainfall at Hatch's Mills 0.50.
Newton Co.—An average crop of oats has
been cut; the corn crop will probably be a
complete failure if the weather continues
dry.   Rainfall at Kenton 0 03.
Tippecanoe Co.—The drouth still" continues accompanied by high temperature;
the corn has been damaged to such an extent that should rain fall immediately the
yield would be much below the average;
the meadows and lawns are extremely dry,
and the ground is so hard that fall plowing will be difficult; oats threshing has begun.   No rainfall at LaFayette.
Cass Co.—The continued high temperature and absence of rain is very discouraging to the farmer; most growing crops
would not average half a crop should rain
fall immediately; pastures are very dry.
No rainfaU at Logansport.
Steuben Co.—Although two local showers fell during the week, corn, late potatoes and all growing crops are suffering
from the drouth; pastures are very dry;
the wheat crop has been harvested in good
condition; the peach crop will not be an
entire failure;  Rainfall at Angola, 0.70.
Whitley Co.—The week was dry and
hot; there was no rain in Whitley county
except a few light local showers; the pastures are dried up; corn and potatoes are
badly damaged, some fields being entirely
used up; the yield of wheat is good and
the quality excellent: late oats are mucl_
damaged by. drouth;blackberries are small
and dry; there is but little fruit. Rainfall at Columbia City, 0.10.
Porter Co.—The dry, hot weather has
been an injury to all growing crops; the
wheat that has been threshed is of good
quality, quantity not great; oats have
mostly been cut in fine condition; it is
thought they will be a little light on account of the dry weather; grass in pastures
nearly as dry as hay, and not very plentiful.   No rain at Valparaiso. *
H. A. Huston,
Director Indiana Weather Service.
Per Edward E. Paddock,
Weather Bureau Acting Asst. Director.
TO RELIC OWNERS.
Wood   and  Metal   Wanted  for  the
Columbian Plow.
The Columbian Liberty Bell committee
have forwarded from Troy, N. Y., all the
swords, guns, chains and filings that they
have received, which could not be fused
into the Columbian Liberty BeU or availed
of in the clapper, to Messrs. Deere and
Co., plow manufacturers, Moline, HI.
who have been selected to make the Columbian Peace Plow and who have generously offered to make it without cost to
the committee.
The Columbian Liberty Bell committee
now desires wood and additional metal
(wrought iron or steel) of great historical
interest, which will be made up into the
plow. Persons having control of such
wood or metal are requested to send their
contributions to the manufacturers at
Moline.
• Each contribution should be labelled,
the label stating what it is, its history and
giving the name of the owner. Contributions should be sent in at once. A complete record of each donation will be made
and kept on exhibition at the World's
Fair, with the plow beside the Liberty
BeU.
" . August Weather.
The chief of the weather bureau directs
the publication of the following data, compiled from the record of observations for
the month of August, taken at this station
for a period of 22 years.
Mean or normal temperature, 73°; the
warmest August was that of 1881, with an
average of 79°; the coldest August was that
of 1885, with an average,of 70°; the highest
temperature during any August was 101°
on the 12th, 1881; the lowest temporature
during any August was .6° on the 23d,
1890.
Average precipitation for the month,
3.52 inches; average number of days with
.01 of an inch or more, 10; the greatest
monthly precipitation was 6.70 inches in
1886; the least monthly precipitation was
0.46 inches in 1884; the greatest amount in
any 24 consecutive hours was 2.86 inches
on August 1st, 1875.
Edward E. Paddock,
Observer, Weather Bureau.
Salem Farmers' Club was treated at its
last meeting to a number of papers upon
the subject of reasons for adopting farm
life. Two of them are given in this number and more will follow.
Sixty persons united with the Bluffton
Methodist church on the 23d.