VOL. XXII.
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., SATURDAY, AUG. 13,1887.
NO. 33
THE CORN CHOP AND THE DROUTH.
Many theories itliout corn-growing and
maturity were swept away by the exceed
ing dry season of 1881. The experience
of that year, together with the facts respecting rain-fall and production, compared with other years, are very pertinent
at this time. These teach that corn grows
and matures in the autumn and fall
months as well as inthe summer, and
that while it is discouraging and even
hurtful to a very considerable extent to
have such a drouth asthat of 1881, and this
year, still despair is worse than folly.
What are the facts? for it is by these after
all, that we may predict the outcome of
the present dry spell respecting the eorn
crop. We take the facts as they appear of
record in Indiana. The following figures
show the rain-fall for the months named
in the years mentioned:
MuntliH. Inches Inches Inches
1880 1881 1M7
April    0.4.1 ' I'l J.'JtZ
May    8.22 :i.78 'Z.'.tt
June    8.48 S.92 2.46
July    2.20 tJI 1.41
August    2.87 0.»7 	
September    1.80 3.25 „ '
It will be seen that in 1880 from April to
July, the four months inclusive, we had a
little over 2T> inches of rainfall, while in
1881, the great drouth year,there was but a
little over 11 inches in the same months,
and in the same period for 1887 there has
been 10.17 inches. But in July, 1881, there
was but .82 of an Inch, whereas in July of
this year there was 1.41 inches of rain.
Now let ns see the comparative production
of corn in 1880 and 1881. In the year 1880,
on an area of 3,130,327 acres, the State produced 80,990,6116 bushels. In 1881, on 3,-
136,178 acres were produced*71,387,075 bushels. These are the facts of the relation of
rainfall to production. But it is also very
well remembered that in 1881 there would
not have been a production of 40,000,000
bushels but for the September rains, and
possibly the 0.11 inches also that fell in
October of that year. The last rainfall of
any considerable quantity in June, 1881,
was on the 8th of that month, and this
year it was on the 9th of June, and re-enforced by 1.41 inches in July, against but
.82 of an inch in July of 1881.
The fertilizing condition of the pollen,
the tassel and embryo ear, we are told, are
advanced this year even more than in
1881, and therefore there is no greater
drawback to fertilization than that which
prevailed during the drouth of 1881, except that occasioned by the intense heat.
The remaining factor in the problem of this
year is, shall we have rainfall and temperature in the autumn and fall months to
mature the crop. Appealing again lo the
record on these questions, it is found that
such conditions of season as this have always been followed by abundant rainfall
and warm autumn and fall weather. The
conclusion is that there is no occasion for
getting into a panic. Where the corn Is
still green, as it was at this date in 1881,let
it alone. A few, we hear, taking unnecessary alarm, propose cutting their corn.
This is wrong. The coming ear is there,
and experience teaches that there is good
hope for a fair maturity yet.
Corn on the heavy clay midrained land
is the worst. Some of this is hopeless.
This kind of a season teaches careless
farmers a lesson, and such rarely learn in
any other   than   schools   of   hard experience.
The finest fall pastures we have ever seen
were those of September ami on tn l>e-
cember of 1881, after the rains began. The
loss occasioned in this regard by the drouth
in the summer months of that year, were
fully made up by splendid grazing in the
fall. We repeat, that there is no occasion
for a panic over the dry weather. Pair
wheat, oats and hay crops are grown and
well harvested ; the later rains will give
uk corn and to spare, and the splendid
grazing into the winter months will make
millions of dollars of beef and mutton,
thus compensating largely for thesnin-
nier drouth.
Written for the Indiana Farmer.
Letter From Southern   California.
J AMES M. TOWNSENI).
I send a few items that may be of some
interest to your readers. I have been on
a trip to Los Angeles from the 30th ult.,
till the 26th inst., whither I went for
health and recreation, information ami
amusement, making it the headquarters,
from which I made excursions to Santa
Monica, Long Beach, Pasadena, San Pedro and from the latter place to Santa Cala
lina Island. Of course ] enjoyed mysell.
The island is about 20 miles from San IV
dro, but to the harbor where we landed is
30 miles. It is not inhabited as yet, but is
a place of resort for fishers, bathers, hunters, etc., and consists of mountains, so as
to be almost uninhabitable.
There are but one or two streams as 1
was informed, so that there is a scarcity
of water for the goats and sheep that are
on it. I saw a few sheep only. There has
been no rain for more than a year and consequently but little vegetation. I saw one
fig tree full of fruit and but one house,
which belongs to a sheep breeder. The
island has been lately purchased by a syndicate from Los Angeles and other places
in Southern California for $200,000 from
the heirs ofthe Lick estate. They propose
to build a large hotel there for the ateom-
modation of visitors. There are no accom-
modations now, those going there furnishing their own outfits.
The island is about 30 miles long by six
or eight miles broad. San Pedro is a point
for shipping, whereas Santa Monica and
Long Beach are almost inaccessible to vessels.
There is a lake some six or eight miles
from Los Angeles named Ballona (pronounced Baiona or something like it i connected with the ocean by canal and they
are now dredging it, so as to form a harbor
for shipping that will be very advantageous to LtM Angeles, ir successful and there
is but little doubt of that real. Estate is
doubling there, and more than doubling.
That seems to be the business, wherever
you go. A line of railroad has been built
from Los Angeles to San Bernardino,
north of the Southern Pacific a few miles
and new towns and villages arc springing
up by magic, as it were.
A railroad is laid oul and being built
from San Bernardino to I.ugonia,Kedlands
and Crafton and possibly another one is
in contemplation, and in addition a motor
road is talked of. So, we expect to hear
the sound of the railroad whistle and all
the bustle of business.   There seems to be
no go back to the real estate business and
thc joke is mailc, that even on the uioun-
lain lops, land is high.
Without disparagement lo llie Kast,
there are reasons for crar boom continuing.
Comparisons are odious an.) we try to
avoid them as much as possible, ami yet,
with all our   care, some   of us   have been
denominated   "California   liars."    When
we start upon a journey, we seldom think
of getting rained on and have but little
need for umbrellas, and yet we need tliem
sometimes. Wc do not wait for the ground
to dry oft'to plant corn and pota!******, sto.,
but rather have to irrigate. Work lias
sometimes lobe postponed on account of
the weather and il is sometimes thrown
together, and towards or amongst lhe
mountains crops have been blasted or destroyed by frost, as has been the case this
year. The apricot Crop has been good
this year, and there has lieen a profusion
of fruit in the markets. Peaches are in
plenty sad 1 think there will be a good
crop of oranges and other citrus fruits.
There have been some large sales of land
in our vicinity, one of 1.IKHI or more acres
for $300,000. Money seems to be plentiful,
so as to keeji trade going. The weather
lias been cool and pleasant until the last
week, when the thermometer ranged from
100 tn 114 Fahrenheit in sliade. Now il
Is amongsl the nineties ami lhe nights are
quite cool. A stroke of lightning, mil
more than a fourth of a mile away, one
day last spring, shivered a |iost to splinters.    It was the first ever known here.
l.ugonia, Cal., July 39th,
Cause of Drouth and Cyclones.
During a recent journey to Europe the
passage across the ocean was especially
unpleasant, because of fogs, the only consolation in contemplating them being that
they represented the work of nature in
drawing moisture from the water, which,
wafted inland, fell upon the soil in refreshing rain, gathered in the brooks and
rivers and Ho wed to the sea, to.be again
thus sent back to freshen and brighten
the parched earth.
Thc speed of of our vessel was materially retarded by winds from the west, a
common occurrence in the summer season. The fogs ahd moisture through
these winds are driven upon the continent, where drouth seldom prevails, and
particularly do they freshen tbe verdure
of Ireland, and hence the brilliant green
of the Emerald Isle.
EFrr.CTS OF TILING.
In reflecting upon this snbject, I contemplated the drouth then prevailing In
several of the Western and Middle States
of the Union. What had they to gather
rain from? Alas, what have they? For a
generation our farmers have been draining their lands of moisture. Thev have
run their Tiling through every slough;
they have drawn out the water from every
swamp; they have dried ii|i thc pond;
thev have obliterated the beautiful little
lake. In doing I his they have made such
easy and rapid egress for rainfall from the
soil as to endanger the homes and farm
lands of all thc settlers along the great
rivers iu the • sout hern regions of our
country, already indicting great distress,
loss of life, and property equaling in value
many millions of dollars—an evil which* is
growing in magnitude each year.
The result of Ibis w holesale draining of
the upper country of water is not only
lliusilisasiroiis to lifeand property along
Ihe larger si reams, from frequent over-
How, bul there is such absolute drainage
of moisture from the earth as to produce
severe ilroiilh, acconipallicd by such intense heal and dryness of atmosphere as
results in the hurricane, the cyclone, and
innumerable village, prairie and forest
tires.
In the early days when the process of
eva|ioralinii of moisliirc wen! forward
from Ihe swamps, the ponds and lakes of
our western and middle States, an extended drouth with extremely intense
heat, wasa rarenccurrence. In thosedavs
sun-slroke was very uncommon and the
cyclone was comparatively unknown.
This year we are in the second season of
drouth in various portions ofthe country
while every year brings ils devastation
from wind, the resultof an excessively dry
and frequently disturbed condition of the
atmosphere.
S K 1 11 II  1 Al.   It I'.Sl'.H VIII KS.
With the land thus denuded of natural
water supply, there is but one course for
our farmers to pursue to save   themselves
from these evils.   They   may drain   their
Sail, bill they should gather the rainfall ill
ponds and lakes scattered throughout
their lands. Instead of running the drains
through ami out of the swamp, they
should lead loan excavation of such size
as circumstances will permit, which should
be made al a depth of three or four feet,
where the water can gather and will remain throughout the year, quenching the
thirst of animals, giving drink to birds, a
reservoir in case of fire, a home for fish, a
place of beauty on which one may sail the
boat, and opportunity for the bath and for
teaching the young people to swim. This
will yield ice for the family, provide skating for the happy youth in winter time,
and moisture, which, through evaporation, will pass into the clouds to be returned again through rainfall to the needy
earth.
No fear need be entertained of stagnation from water thus held in reserve.
Fish will of themselves purify it. Every
rain will change it, while, if the lake
(overs an acre or more in area, the wind
will constantly keep it pure. In proof of
this, the writer has an artificial lake on
his farm, the result of dredging a swamp,
which is tilled only by rainfall, the water
being, in the dryest season, always perfectly clear and fresh.
On the low lands the general abandonment of farms and homes from river over-
How will be the Inevitable outcome of this
water wastage in the high grounds. Such
is already thc fact, while the expenditure
of many millions of dollars by the government in lhe construction of levees and
embankments along the great rivers, will
be necessary for Ihe further protection of
adjoining property. Vastly better this
expenditure be made in holding lhe water
where ii is required, in the ii|>-country.
I>ol the farms of our inland States with
jionds and miniature lakes, and while
they will afford health, attraction and
pleasures in a thousand ways, tbey will
give ns back the uniform rainfall we had
in the early settlement of the country
when successive seasons of drouth, forest
fires and cyclones were unknown.—Thos.
E. Hill, in "Hill's National Builder.