VOL. XXX.
INDIANAPOLIS. IND.. JULY 20. 1895.
NO. 29.
WEATHER OROP BULLETIN.
United States Department of Agriculture,
Weather Bureau. Orop Bulletin of the Indiana Weather Service im Oo-operation
With tshe Agricultural Experiment Station
at Purdue University, Monday, July 15,
1896.
Central Station at Indianapolis, July 15.
Oood rains at the beginning and lo -al
rains at the end of the week were exceedingly beneficial in the southern portion
and in few lcc untitles of the central and
northern portions, but especially in the
northern portion rain is muoh needed yet
to save the c.rn and other growing orops;
the greater part of the week, moderately
warm, fair weather was fauorable to harvesting and threshing; the nights were
cool and in a few c _unt.es of the northern
portion light hoar frost formed on a few
nights; corn in the southern and central
portions is growing rapidly and it stands
well and promising a large crop; but ln
the northern portion lt needs rain; in
many fields it wilts and is rolling; wheat
threshing from the shock continues with a
yield of less than an average; rye threshing continues with fair yield; oats are
ripening fast and ths harvest has begun in
many oountiee; in some fields, being too
short for the binder, it U mowed and
raked; haying continues and timothy is
housed rapidly; both crops are short; tomatoes, melons and beaus aro fairly well;
early potatoes are a failure nearly everywhere; there are plenty of tops but few
small potatoes ln a hill; millet ls growing
fast except in the northern portion, where
It has been too dry; tobacco is starting up
nicely, but the tobacco worm is doing injury earlier than usual; in some counties
water is still scarce; apples, pears and
plums are abundant.
SOUTHERN PORTION.
Fair weather favorable to harvesting
prevailed during the week, and the rains
at the b9glnnlng and local rains at the end
of the week were exceedingly benefiolal
and refreshed and improved everything;
oorn is growing vigorously and in some
oounties promises the largest crop for
years; It Is tasseling in many fields; in.
most localities it has been "laid by;" early
potatoes are a failure, but 1 .to potatoes
promise better; in Spencer and Switzerland oounties they sre all planted, but In
Floyd oounty plan Urg la not finished yet;
clover, pasturage and meadows are Improved by the rains; tomatoes and melons
are in good oondltion in Knox and Jackson oounties; a large acreage of buckwheat
has been sown in Jennings county; tobacco is starting up nicely in Ohio county; In
some counties the tobacco worms are beginning to damage earlier than usual; apples, pears and flams are abundant; wheat
threshing from tbe shock contlnunes; in
' many counties threshing has ended; the
average yield in Jackson county is from
3 to 25 bushels per aore, in Floyd oounty
from 8 to 30 bu«hels>, in Ohio county from
10 to 25 bnshels, In Spencer county from 5
to 30 bushels and the bushel weighs from
53 to 60 ponnds; oats Is ripe ning fast and
the harvest has begun and in some counties it is nearly ended; the heads are well
filled, but the straw is short; in Greene
oounty in some fields the oats was mowed
and raked for feed; haying continues and
timothy is rapidly being housed; the crop
is bettor than expected in Jefferson county;
in Dearborn county they cnt a halt a ton
to the acre; millet ls growing fast; springs
and wells are low and stook water is scarce
in Dearborn county.
CENTRAL PORTION.
The rains were moie scattered at the be
ginning and ending of the week and in
some localities rain Is needed; but still
oorn is in excellent condition; it is tassell-
lng and shooting in many fields and in
some oounties the early planted has been
"laid  by,"  promising a  very good crop
everywhere. Oats are most everywhere
ready to cut and in some oounties the harvest has begun; in Franklin and Vigo
counties it is mowed with the mowing
machine; the heads are well filled, but the
straw is very short; in Rash oounty the
crop ls fairly good; rye is in sheck everywhere and threshing has oommenoed, a
fair orop; in Delaware oounty the yield is
poor; meadows and pasturage are still dry
in some localities; young olover Is grow
Ing nicely; haying <■ mtinues and timothy
ls being cut ln Franklin and Decatur counties the cutting is nearly done; both are a
poor crop; early potatoes are no good, but
late potatoes promise better; apples, pears
are a large orop; tomatoes, melons and
beans are in good condition; wheat threshing continues with a yield below average;
ia Johnson county the average is from 3
to 25 bushels per acre; in Marlon county
from 10 to 12 bushels. In Henry ooun'y
from 2 to 10 bushel; in Ktndolph oounty
from 5 to 20 bushel; in Hamilton oounty
from 3 to 5 bushel; stock water is still
scarce in Kindolph oounty.
"NORTHERN PORTION.
The rains were badly distributed in
most localities no rains fell; in Warren,
Tippecanoe and "Warrick couotits gord
rains fell and improved vegetation; warm
days prevailed In Stark, Marshall and
Clinton counties, the temperature fell low
enough on two nights to form light hoar
frost in locslitiee; while In some oounties
oorn is still in very good, promising oondltion; In most fields it begins to suffer
for rain; lt is rolling and turns yellow ln
Laporte, Marshall, Elkhart, Allen and
Tipton conntiee; oats is ripening, it is a
fair crop in Allen, Whitley, Porter, Carroll, Adams and Tipton county; in St
Joseph and Kosciusko oounties some fields
are mowed for haj ; In Warren county,
while it is in bloom in one part of a field
it Is ripe ln the other. Haying continues
a short crop in Carroll county, they out
two to four acros to the ton; grass is suffering and pasturage ls brown; early potatoes are poor and few to the hill; late potatoes promise bettor; gsrden truck is poor;
wheat threahing continues everywhere;
the average Is ln White oounty from 4 to
20 bushels per acre; in St. Joseph from 4 to
20 bushels; in Allen from 8 to 20; In Elkhart from 8 to 20; in Adams from 6 to 22;
in Marshsll from % to is and in Jay county
from 4 to 10 bushels; chinch bugs doing
damage In Warrick and Cass counties;
wells are low and stock water is scarce in
Cass, Whitley and Miami counties.
H. A. Huston,
Director Indiana Weather Servioe.
Per O. F. R, Wappenhans,
Weather Bureau, Assistant Director.
Scarlet Clover as a Oatch Crop.
Editors Indiama Farmsi:
There has been so muoh said and written
about the many merits of scarlet clover
that it is well-nigh a hopeless task to at
tempt to add anything new. The nitrogen
gathering power of this class of plants is
perhaps the greatest Bingle factor in modern agricultural development; at the same
time, we must not let our appreciation of
this fact lead us Jrom a proper application
of its functions. It is not enough that nitrogen from the exhaustless stores of the
atmosphere may be oollected almost at
wlll, but the cheapest and most effective
procedure Is making use of this power al •
ready engages attention. Most, if not all,
farmers know that the clovers leave the
soil richer in nitrogen after cropping than
it was before, but comparatively few know
that the soil is richer in nitrogen only,and
that the mineral elements, potash and
phosphorlo sold, must, as now, be supplied
from outside sources It Is impossible
that there ever be discovered a method by
means of which the mineral elements can
be secured other than by direct application
—as at present. There is no potash or
phosphorlo acid in the atmosphere.
Th« analyses of plants show a striking
similarity of composition. The nitrogen,
potash and phosphoric acid bear certain
definite relations to each other; If the normal proportions of one of these principal
elements is lackirg, the development ls
measured by the deficient faotor. A plant
may grow in a medium, having ample
supplies of two of the three chief elements, but the growth, so far as economic
value ls concerned, will inevitably be
measured by the missing element. In
manuring for a olover sod for next year's
uses, remember that the plant can store
up nitrogen for itself, but must have ample supplies of minerals to do so. If potash and phosphorlo add are misslng,clover
can no more store up nitrogen than an ordinary weed. Whileonthlssubjeot.lt is
as well to make note of the relative quantities of the two minerals required, as indicated by the natural selection of the
plant itself. Chemical analysis shows tbat
for every 100 pounds of phosphoric add
assimilated, from 200 to 300 pounds of potash are required, depending upon the kind
of nitrogen gatherer grown. It ls not
meant by this that the potash applied must
always be fr< m two to three times the
quantity of phosphoric add, as the latter
is not so readily available in the soil; but
the potash should always exc*scd the phosphoric acid, and may be made safely ln
all instances quite double the quantity.
This brings us to the true value of the
nitrogen gatherers. It is practically impossible to prevent losses of fertilizing material at those seasons of the year when
under ordinary cultivation,! he soil is bare.
The chemical process of the soil and the
plant have been bard at work arranging
the fertilizing principles into useful forms,
but;a cessation of the work means a rapid
dlssapatlon of the g-*od work by drainage
and other causes. The fall and winter
rains exhaust an unprotected soil almost
as badly as a heavy cropping. It is the
function of the "catch crop" to remedy
this evil; and there are few, If any, plants
equal to soarlet clover for this purpose.
The seed is sown in August in the growing
oorn, or with any olean cultivation orop,
and by October the soil is protected by the
growth from the dissipation of rains or;the
conversion of the minerals into Insoluble
forms. The seed is not expensive, and the
benefit of the green manuring alone is un-
qnestionaDly great.
It would be folly to attempt to grow a
useful catch crop unless the soil is well
covered with young nlover,and It ls equally
folly to expect to get suoh a stand without
properly feeding the plant. There is no
royal road to fertilization. The minerals
must be supplied to enable the plant to
grow and store up nitrogen. Perhaps the
very best time to apply same is when the
land is being prepared to sow the grass
seed. The potash as kainit or muriate may
be mixed with acid phosphate and the
mixture sown broadcast and harrowed In.
To each hundred pounds of acid phosphate
200 pounds of kainit or 50 pounds of muriate should be added, and the whole thoroughly mixed together.        S. Peacock.
Greater Industry and Closer Economy
Editobs Indiana Faihu:
In your issue of June 15th appeared an
article on the cause of agricultural depression upon which I would like to question so as to help us few who are reasonably well satisfied with things as they are,
to keep on our easy road. Does our friend
Cory ever recollect a time when no one
grumbled? Is not 50 cents abuahel enongh
for corn? Are hogs too cheap or cattle too
low? Can't they all be raised at a profit?
Does he reoolleot that we used to pay |250
for a bindei? We get a bettor one now
for f 100.   Sewing machines,  organs, wag
ons, buggies are less than half what we
used to pay, while the products of the
farm are as high as they were then, with
the exception of wheal?
Don't you remember we used to go
horseback or ln a big wagon to ohurch?
Now everybody has a buggy or carriage.
Organs and pianos were the property of
the rich only; now anybody can have
them, The same with sewing machines
and many other o onveniences of medern
times. These all oost something and if we
want them we must pay for them.
I say the farmer is getting lazier every
day. He don't work one half of the daytime In a year. He used to work from
daylight till dark and a good while after
dark, winter and summer, and In all
kinds of weather. Now, how is it? In the
winter lis does his stock feeding and then
loafs; maybe cuts a little firewood, but
most generally hires that done. In the
spring he wakes up, gets a little hustle on
him, plants his oorn too soon, so the cutworms can eat it up. He knows bitter
but thinks he'll "chanco it" any how.
Daring the summer he gets out between 6
and 7 o'clock ln the morning, quits for
dinner about half dast ten, and if it is not
too hot goes ont ab tut half past one, and
if it ls too warm don't go out at all; quits
work about six o'clock, hltohes up to the
buggy and drives to town in the evening;
talks with the loafers on the empty dry
goods boxes; hears them talk of hard
times, about free silver and other vagaries.
On tho way home he thinks be
Is a terribly long-suffering, muoh abused
farmer, but a good night's rest does away
with all that, aud at the year'.* end he is
one year older, has laid by a little, and resolves he worked most too hard the past
summer. And so en from year to year,
and at the present ratio I expect In a few
years to see the farmers the laziest mortals in existence. Of course we must bave
cur queer people to keep things from getting monotonous. It seems that some people expect free silver would have prevented
the drouth last summer out west, and
would have killed the cutworm and Hessian fly this spring ln India its; and I
don't know but what they think it would
bring rain here where needed most.
If we take care of what we have, and
don't buy what we don't need, and don't
lose too muoh tluis talking free sliver,
bloated bondholders and monopoly, I
think the Indiana farmer will do fairly
well- -**v.
Carroll Co.
White and Yellow Corn.
Whether the yield of corn is affected by
color, and whether the white or yellow
varieties prodnce the greater yield, has
always been a matter of dispute. In order to seoure definite information ln regard to this the Mississippi Experiment
Station has made 138 tests with 45 varieties
of dent oorn. As a result of this work the
75 tests with 25 white varieties have given
an average yield ot 43 bushels per acre,
while the 63 tests with the 20 yellow varieties have given an average cf only 38 2
bushels per sore. These total averages
coincide very closely with the partial results published in several of the annual
reports, and whioh were as follows: In
1890 the yield of 17 white varieties was 44 6
bushels per sere, while 15 yellow varieties
gave 37.1 bushels. In 1891, 25 white varieties yielded 37 5 bushels, while 18 yellow
varieties yielded 34 9 bnshels per acre. In
1892 the yield of 11 whlto varieties was
45.2 bnshels, while the same number of
yellow varieties gave only 40 5 bushels per
acre. In 1893 and 1894 the tests were continued with 22 white varieties yielding
42 7 bushels, and 19 yellow varieties yielding 39 1 bushels per acre. During each
year of this work the two varieties giving
the heaviest yields were both wbite,though
not always the same varieties.