VOL. XXIX.
INDIANAPOLIS. IND.  MAY 5, 1894.
NO. 18.
WEATHER CROP BULLETIN.
United States Department of Agriculture,
Weather Bureau. Orop Bulletin of the Indiana Weather Service in Oo-operation
With the Agricultural Experiment Station
at Purdue University, Tuesday, May 1,
1894.
The almost uninterruptedly warm,
sunny weather, although the precipitation
was very deficient, was very beneficial to
crops, plowing and planting and farm
work in general. Wheat, rye and oats are
in an exceedingly fine and promising condition. Grass aDd pasturage are much improved, and stock is put in pasture now
nearly everywhere. Wheat has recovered
its fresh green color; it is jointing in the
southern portion in most fields. The late-
sown and re-sown oats is coming up nicely
and garden plants and vegetation in general are advancing vigorously. More fruit
trees are in bloom than anticipated. Stock
is in good condition. Farm work is well
advanced. Plowing for corn is progress
ing rapidly and planting corn and melons
has begun.
SOUTHERN PORTION.
Gibson, Vanderburg and Posey counties
—The weather has been very fine; wheat,
clover and grass have grown rapidly and
never looked better at this time of the
season; farmers are plowing and planting
corn.
Dubois, Spencer and Warrick counties.—
Rut little rain; weather warm and sunny;
much plowing and planting was done;
wheat, oats and grass are growing very
fast; the stock is now for the first time in
pasture in Dubois county.
Orange, Crawford and Perry counties.—
Weather very beneficial; wheat and grass
are much improved and growing rapidly;
oats sown after the freeze is coming up
nicely; potatoes are all planted in Perry
county, and fruit is not so badly injured
in Orange county; corn planting has commenced.
Floyd, Harrison, Clark, Scott and Wash
ington counties.—The weather during the
week has been all that could be wished,
although there was no rain; farm work
and corn planting is well advanced; wheat
and grass are in best condition; fruit is
showing up far beyond expectation in
Washington county; stock looks well;
sheep shearing is in progress now.
Jennings, Dearborn, Switzerland and
Jefferson counties.—Rains at the beginning of the week; fine, sunny the rest;
good weather for crops and farm work;
wheat is jointing and looks splendid;
stock is all in pasture and doing well; tobacco plants look promising; in Dearborn
county the plant is small but plentiful;
potatoes are all planted and coming up;
apple and pear trees are in bloom and in
Switzerland county the condition of the
pear trees is not altogether discouraging.
Jackson, Rartholomew and Lawrence
counties.—Favorable weather conditions
have advanced all crops and farm work
rapidly; wheat, oats, corn, clover and grass
are in good condition; wheat is nearly
ready to head in some fields; the fruit crop
in Bartholomew county is still more encouraging; corn planting has commenced
and much corn and melons will be planted the coming week in Jackson county.
Sullivan, Knox, Greene and Daviess
counties.—Fine growing weather all week;
wheat and re-sown oats look well; fruit
has not improved in Knox county but the
prospect is better in Greene county; corn
planting has commenced and in Greene
county an immense crop will be planted;
melons are being planted in Sullivan
county.
CENTRAL PORTION.
Vigo, Owen, Shelby and Johnson count
ies.—Warm, fair weather has improved
everything; wheat is growing nicely; oats
are coming up and doing well; clover and
grass are in good condition; plum, cherry,
pear and apple trees are in bloom moderately, but there is no peach bloom; blackberry canes are hurt in Vigo county; plowing for corn is being pushed vigorously
and planting has begun.
Franklin, Rnsh, Union and Decatur
counties.—The weather has been very
favorable and wheat, clover and grass are
growing fast with a prospect of an abun-
ant crop. Re planted potatoes are com-
ming up; apple, pear and cherry trees are
blooming more than expected; plowing is
nearly done and planting has commenced
with the ground in splendid condition.
Randolph, Wayne, Henry and Fayette
counties.—One of the finest weeks for
farming; plowing for corn is nearly done
and much is to be planted; wheat looks
well; oats is sprouting nicely; grass is
thriving and stock is in good condition;
rain is needed for clover and grass and
gardens; the fruit trees in Randolph
county are surprising everybody and a
fair crop is anticipated; currants, gooseberries and strawberries are covered with
bloom.
Marion, Hamilton, Madison and Hancock counties.—Cool weather the first two
days, but warm and exceedingly favorable
the last days for agricultural pursuits;
breaking is nearly done and much corn
has been planted; wheat, oats, timothy
and grass look fine; gardening is progressing rapidly*1 potatoes are coming up satisfactorily; clover looks better; there is
more fruit bloom than the most hopeful
expected; pears, late apples, raspberries,
blackberries and gooseberries promise a
fair yield; there are but few cherries and
no peaches; stock is improving, especially
sheep.
Putnam, Boone and Hendricks counties.
—Fine weather prevailed; very favorable
to farm work, and plowing and planting
corn is being pushed; much corn will be
planted in Boone county; wheat, oats,
grass and pasturage are in good condition,
promising fair crops; ihe prospect for
fruit is better than anticipated, especially
in Boone county; even May cherries make
a better showing; pear trees are in full
bloom.
Montgomery, Parke and Vermillion
counties.—Fine weather prevailed all the
week; wheat is in splendid condition;
there is not one injured field in Parke
county; oats which had been re-sown is
coming up fast; grass and pasturage are in
fine condition; cattle are in good order;
but three cases of lockjaw to horses occurred in Vermillion county; plowing and
planting corn progresses well; the prospect for fruit is ahead of expectation; apples, plums and cherries are in bloom, but
no peaches.
St. Joseph, Marshall, Elkhart and Kosciusko counties.—The weather was the
most favorable of the season, but rain is
needed; wheat, oats and grass, in fact all
vegetation, is in excellent condition; farm
work well advanced and plowing for corn
is being pushed with vigor; apples, pears,
cherries and small fruit, also peaches in
some orchards, promise fairly; potatoes
are planted and coming up nicely; pasturage is fine and ihe stock on it.
Noble, Whitley and LaGrange counties.
—The weather was splendid for all crops;
wheat has Improved and Is growing nicely,
oats all sown and coming up finely; fruit
trees are in bloom; cherries and pears not
hurt; in Noble county peaches also
are in bloom, promising the largest crop
known for years and there is a good prospect for apples in LaGrange county; all
potatoes are planted and gardens made.
NORTHERN PORTION.
Lake, Porter, Starke and LaPorte
counties.—Fine growing weather; cool,
with frost on the 24th and 25th, but later
warm and sunny; wheat is in splendid
condition; oats are up; some is being
sown yet in Lake county; fruit trees, including peaches, are in full bloom, promising a full crop; clover and grass are in
good condition and dairying prosperous;
plowing and planting corn progresses.
Steuben, Allen and DaKalb counties.—
Sufficient rain fell except in Allen county
where rain is needed; wheat and grass are
in excellent condition; trees are leafing;
pear, peach, plum and apple trees are
laden with bloom; plowing for corn is being rapidly done with the ground in fine
condition; the prospect for a full crop was
never better.
Jay, Wells, Blackford and Adams counties.—Light showers and cool followed by
warm sunny weather were very beneficial;
wheat is improving fast but oats and grass
less so; potatoes are planted but not up
yet; plowing for corn is most done and
planting commenced with the ground in
good condition; cherries and pears are in
fnll boom and there is a fair showing for
apples; a little too dry in Blackford county.
Huntington, Wabash and Grant count
ies.—The warm sunny weather the latter
part of the week was all that could be desired for the advancement of crops; wheat,
oats meadows and pastures are doing well;
the woods are turning green; cherries are
in bloom and apple bloom will open in a
few days; plowing progresses and corn
planting has begun; some farmers are
waiting until later in May.
Carrol], Cass and Miami counties.—
Warm, bright sunny weather this week
were beneficial to crops; wheat and rye,
sown oats are growing nicely; fruit is all
right, except peaches and there will be a
fair crop of cherries, apples and pears and
small fruit is abundant; pasturage and the
stock on it is in good condition; plowing
is nearly done and corn planting has commenced.
Clinton, Tipton and Howard counties.—
Warm and fair growing weather; wheat,
oats, grass and gardens look well especially
the potatoes in Clinton county; fruit trees
are in bloom. Plowing is nearly done and
much corn has been planted; that planted
early is sprouting.
Tippecanoe, White and Benton counties.
—The warm weather during the week
made a marked difference in the crops;
wheat and oats are growing rapidly; grass
Is in good condition and the cattle is in
pasture; a large potato crop is planted In
Tippecanoe connty; plowing is well advanced and corn planting has begun; fruit
seems not to be injured, apples, pears,
cherries and small fruit are in bloom; no
peaches.
H. A. Huston,
Director Indiana Weather Service.
Per C. F. R. Wappenhans,
Weather Bureau, Assistant Director.
Value of Cow Manure in Fertilizing
Elements.
Kditoks Indiana Farmkr:
An editorial of March 21st in the Massachusetts Ploughman on the fertilizer
question says: ''We believe the published
statements of Secretary Sessions and the
experiment station have been made with
care and are entirely reliable and worthy
of ojnfidenoe."
As belief is not a matter of will, the editor may be able to believe it while others
cannot. He also says: "It is a fact beyond dispute, as stated by Sec'y Sessions
in his lecture delivered at the Ploughman
meeting Feb. 22, 1890, that the plant food
contained in the voidingsof a well fed cow
for a year, if bought at the market prices
at that time of chemical fertilizers, would
cost f47 50. This estimate includes the
liquid as well as the solid matter, and it
should be remembered that the liquid por-
tisn contains more than half the value,
and that much of it is lost In the drainage
of most stables and manure heaps. If the
farmer knows how to save all his manure
and apply it properly, he can save this
value from every well fed cow."
It is known to every practical farmer
that he is in error when he says: The
statement of Secretary Sessions is a fact
beyond dispute. I am also well aware that
the Massachusetts State Board of Agriculture say the same as Secretary Sessions,
and three of the members of the Board of
Agriculture were at the Ploughman meeting on the first of March, but it was evident that they thought of the words of
Benjamin Franklin many years ago, when
on a memorable occasion he said: 'We must
all hang together, or we shall hang separate."
Cornell University has been carefully
experimenting on the values of the manures produced per head by the several
domestic animals, and the conclusions
drawn from the experiments are certainly
deserving careful consideration. It should
be borne in mind however, that Prof.
Roberts is a high feeder, and few farmers
would get as valuable manurial results as
are shown by these experiments.
The calculations are made on 1000
pounds of live weight of animal. Few
farmers have cows that will average 750
pounds live weight. This must be considered in estimating the value of the manure by the Cornell University standard.
From the statement made in the table, 71
pounds of cow manure per day, there
would be in 305 days 27,010 pounds containing 115 pounds nitrogen at 15 cents,
f 17 28; 78X pounds phosphoric acid at six
cents, $4 71, and 119 pounds of potash at
four and one-half cents, |5 36; total value
per year $27 25 from 1,000 pounds live
weight of animal value; valuing nitrogen
at 15 cents a pound, phosphoric acid at six
cents and potash at four and one-half
cents a pound. The Massachusetts State
Board of Agriculture estimates the value
of the manure from a well-fed cow for 12
months at over f 15, while the Cornell
University say it worth but |27 35, even at
the exorbitant prices (nearly double) they
put upon the fertilizing constituents.
German chemists state that the average
solid excrements of a cow for one year are
20,000 pounds containing 00 pounds of nitrogen at seven cents, f l 20; potash and
soda 20 pounds of soda at four and one-
half cents, 90 cents; phosphoric acid 45
pounds at 2 cents, 90 cents; total value in
solids JO. The liquid excrements at 8000
pounds per year, containing 64 pounds nitrogen at seven cents, f4 48; p >task and
soda 112 pDunds f5 04 (no phosphoric acid)
total of liquids f9 S2, or a total of solids
and liquids of ,15 52, as the value of the
manure from a cow for one year. This is
relatively a higher estimate than that
made by the Cornell University, but they
include the value of the soda as well as of
the potash, or per day for the solids 1.7
cents; the liquid 2.7 cents per day, total of
both per day 4. 4cents; a total value per
year of $15 69 if all is saved.
Tbe position of the State Board of Agriculture of Massachusetts on this subject
reminds me of the witness who was testifying in a horse case; describing the color,
size, weight, etc. He said the horse was 15
feet high; he was checked by the judge
and asked if he did not mean 15 hands
high, asking what he had said and being
told 15 feet high, he said he should stick
to it. Practical farmers will draw the
moral. Andrkw H. Ward.
The town of Cadiz was almost destroyed
by fire on the 27th. Seventeen houses
were burned.