VOL. XXIV.
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., APRIL 6,1889.
NO. 14
WEATHEB CROP BULLETIN
Of th* Indiana Weather Service ln co-operation with
the United States Signal Service for the week ending
Saturday March 30,1869,
The existing deficiency in the rainfall
over Indiana, has been still more increased
by nearly a total absence of precipitation
daring the past week; no rain at all fell
In the northern portion and the small
amounts of badly distributed local rains
on the 24th, 27th and 29th, in the southern
and central portions, were of little benefit
to crops, pasturage and vegetation in gen
eral.
A temperature above the normal, during the earlier part of the week, and
much sunshine, advanced the development of vegetation, but a cooler temperature during Friday and Saturday probably checked a too rapid growth. The
temperature- during Saturday morning
was exceedingly low and freezing, but no
report of injury to wheat or fruit trees
has reached us as yet. Light. and harmless hoar frosts formed on a few mornings.
Because of the mild temperature and
abundance of sunshine, wheat and pasturage are still in a fair condition, although rain is very muoh needed everywhere, as the soil in many localities has
become hardened and cloddy and prevents tbe penetration of the roots to a
needful depth. _       .-_...
The fine weather permitted an uninter-
. rupted continuance of farm work, which
is very far advanced. In the southern
and central portions oats is all in, and in
the southern portion it is coming up.
Early potatoes, have been planted and
farmers are plowing the corn fields with
the soil in favorable condition. In the
southern part of the State corn planting
has commenced. The prospect for a good
frnit crop still remains good, and iu the
southern portion the fruit trees are considered to be safe from hard frost.
SOUTHERN PORTION.
Troy—The weather has been warm the
greater part of the past seven days; the
temperature ranged from 48 degrees to 60
in the shade, during the middle of the day;
light frosts occurred on the 26 th and 28 th
but the buds are uninjured; light rain on
the 24th and light snow during the night
Of the 27th.
Dagonia Springs—About all the oats
have been sown in March; some of it has
come up nicely; peach trees are blooming;
some farmers are plowing for corn; the
roads are in fine condition.   Rainfall 0.15
Sunman—The condition of the weather
during the past week has been very fav
orable for putting in oats and potatoes,
but it has been too dry for wheat and
grass although both look well, much better than usual at this season. Rainfall
0.08.
Seymour—The conditions of the weather
were unusually favorable for all crops;
, farming is much farther advanced than
usual; pastures are as green as one sees
them at the end of April generally; oats
all sown, potatoes and gardens planted
and muoh ground is broken for corn and
melons; better prospects for" fine crops of
grain; grass and fruit were never seen
here in March. Rainfall 0.07.
, "Vevay—The wheat crop stands badly in
need of rain, the deficiency for the week
(0.80) has a detrimental effect; the soil also
is too hard and cloddy to permit the penetration of the roots to a needful depth;
the rain deficiency of the month will be
strikingly abnormal; the fruit is still safe
notwithstanding occasional frosts; the
lowest temperature occurred on the 24th,
26 degress.   Rainfall, 010.
Butlervllle—Wheat is growing but rain
is needed; oats is mostly sown in; potatoes planted and garden seeded; the fruit
prospeot is very good; peach and plum
trees will soon be in bloom; many farm
ers have finished plowing their cornfields
and spring work ls well advanced. Rainfall, 0.50.
Worthington—Rain is needed badly for
wheat, grass and oats; a good warm rain
would be especially beneficial; much
sickness prevails here caus9d by the poisonous condition of the drinking water,
which has become very strong with mineral solutions.   Rani-all, 0.02.
New Providence—There has been but very
little change in the growth of cereals, etc.,
but the grass looks very green; a few wild
flDwers are out; the wheat looks very fine
everywhere; the many fruit growers axe
jubilant over their prospect; oats is all in,
covering -average acreage; the temperature ranges from 22 to 60 degrees. Rainfall, 0.11.
Columbus—The past week has been
quite spring-like and favorable for out
door work; it is still dry and dusty and
wheat and grass need rain.   Rainfall 0.04
Marengo—But very little rain has fallen
during the past-seven days; on the 27th
0.10 fell, and on the 29th a trace of rain;
the roads are dry and hard; the weather
has been fine for farm Work and farmers
are well advanced with their work. R»in
fall 0.10.
Cannelton—The weather has been bright
and at the end of the week cooler; peaches
are in bloom; Calkins of Lombardy poplars are out in full; willows are coming
into leaf; the rain on the evening of the
27th turned into snow.   Rainfall 0.15.
Princeton—Wheat never looked better
at any time, at this time of the year;
pastures begin to look green, but vegetation in general is rather backward; peach
buds are just beginning to open; farmers
have finished sowing oats and some of
them are plowing for corn.   Rainfall 0 40.
Mount Vernon—The wheat looks fine;
corn planting has commenced; the leaves
on our Wilson strawberries kept green all
winter and at present they are in bloom;
fruit appears to be safe; at 6:30 p. m. on
the 27th a young "blizzard" made the dust
fly and after nightfall it rained; rain
turned to light snow and Ice formed.
Rainfall 0.16.
CENTRAL PORTION.
Rockville—Wheat comes on slowly, so
does grass; oats needs rain badly; potatoes are being planted and the ground is
in good condition forthe purpose; the
fruit crop is promising.
Franklin—There prevailed nice grow
ing, spring weather here during the past
seven days; the growing crops are looking
well; oats sowing is nearly^completed; the
fruit buds are swelling but they do not
show bloom yet; highest temperature
during the past week 71 degrees: lowest,
22 degrees; light frosts on the 24th, 25th
and 28th and heavy frost on the 30th with
the ground frozan.   Rainfall, 0.05.
Richmond—After six days of continuous sunshine, the sky is overcast and a
light cool rain is falling; a drouth like
this one during March Is very unusual;
farmers are taking advantage of it as now
the soil is in fine condition for plowing;
oats Is all in; potatoes are being planted
by those who "plant in the moon" and
although I am a skeptio on this polnt,still
I believe now is a good time to plant potatoes in the "earth" taking the conditions in consideration, moon or no moon.
Wheat is still holding its own and looks
green; rain is needed though very much.
Rainfall, 0.11.
Mauzy—Rainfall, 0.13.
Farmland—Wheat and grass suffered by
the absence of rain during the past week
until the 29th, when 0.20 inch fell, doing
much good to both.   Rainfall, 0.20.
NORTHERN PORTION.
Columbia  City—There has  been absolutely no precipitation here since March
lst, four weeks  to-day.   The ground Is
dry and roads are as dusty as in summer.]
The days were warm and nights cool.'
The wheat looks well but needs rain; no
rain.
Bluffton—No rain has fallen in this locality, for about three weeks, and it is
needed very much; the temperature during the past week has been rather cool,
freezing temperature prevailed every
morning except one or two; no rain.
LaPorte—Wheat is in prime condition,
but need rain; farmers are busy plowing
and sowing oats.
H. A. Huston,
Director Indiana Weather Service.
should be done as soon as possible, before
the dealers buy thelrtwlne. I recommend
passing this resolution by farmer's clubs,
etc.:
We, the undersigned, do hereby agree
not to patronize the Binder Twine Trust
until they reduce the selling price of twins
to a reasonable rate. t Subscriber.
Binder   Trust.
Editors Indiana Parmer:
I too have been waiting for some one to
say something in condemnation of the
Binder Twine Trust, and am glad R. A.L.,
has broken the ice. I believe the dealers
who sell the twine to farmers are as oul-
pable as the manufacturers, and share the
benefits with the Trust. We Imp-rt the
material from which binder twines are
made,largely from Manilla,oneof the Phil-
lippine islands and pay two cents a pound
tariff on the raw material, and I am credibly informed that the twine can be made
and sold, with the tariff added, at from 8
to 12s a pound, and aflord a good profit all
around, and when R. A. !>., calls 25c a
pound a steal, he has not made a mistake
in the name. But will we submit? No,
we can drop the grain unbound from our,
binders, and If green or damp, it will dry
out better, will be free from mold and
dust, and we can bind by hand at our
leisure, it will not Injure oats to lie unbound several days, lf we bind them dry.
The other fields of grain are smaller and
can be bound when cut or soon after.
We can attach a platform to our binders
that two men can stand on and bind sheaf
about,and that will be cheaper than twine
at any price. Last year the Cotton Bag
Trust tried to double the cost of bag3 for
baling cotton and the southern farmers
promptly refused to buy them, and used
boards for baling, and this year they are
being offered bags at fair prices.
There is but very little we buy for us_
on our farms but what we pay Trust
prices for, and for several years we have
been selling many of our products at cost
or less than oost of production. Dealers
say in extenuation of the Trust that when
farm products are scarce they are high. I
admit this,but there was never a Farmers'
Trust to force an enhancement of values
at such a time. No farmer should hesitate
to do his duty to himself, family and
community, and we should rise aa one
man and declare we will never submit to
this rapacious plunder. R. j. w.
Montmorenci, March 18.
Editors Indiana Parmer:
At a meeting of Hull Dodge, No. 769, F.
M. B. A., It was resolved that, rather than
submit to the extortionate price of binder
twine as asked by the Twine Combine,
they would bind their wheat by hand.
Said Lodge consists of about 40 members,
and they have the grit to make their
words true. \y_ S.
Owens ville.
Editors Indiana Farmer:
We have been reading for some time
past the articles in the Farmer by different correspondents concerning the Binder
Twine Trust advocating a League for protection against the trust. We notice in
the Farmer of the 23d Inst, that J. B. J.
advocates holding township institutes and
a State convention which we think a good
plan. But the time is short and quick
work is necessary. We suggest as the
quickest way for organization for the Indiana Farmer and all other agricultural
papers to publish the following resolution
(subject to amendment) iu circular form,
with blank space for signatures, and send
to agents, or subscribers, requesting them
to obtain the signatures of the farmers
who will not patronize the Trust.   This
The Cutaway Harrow.
Editors Indiana Farmer:
From the reading of the Farmer and
otherwise I know that the editor is on the
alert to publish anything in the way of
convenience to the farmer; or gathering
from each what may be of benefit to a
great many. It is in this view that I send
the Farmer my experience with the cutaway harrow as a labor saving Implement
in sowing oats.
We are sowing in the standing cornstalks, at nearly the same rate of speed
that we can cultivate corn with a two
horse cultivator. The advantage in sowing oats without first ploughing the land,
is, that just as soon as the ground is dry
enough seeding can be done. At the same
time the ground is prepared to receive the
seed, so that a large crop can be put in
the ground before it can be prepared for the
seed where plowing is done in advance of
the seeding. The oats crop is increasing
from year to year, and with suoh implements as the cutaway harrow and seeder, lt
will be greatly increased, because we are
beginning to learn that oats is an excellent
grain to feed hogs, and In connection with
corn, we may confidently expect less disease among hogs than we shall have with
corn alone.
I think the most prominent reason why
oats has not been more largely cultivated
is that it should be put in the ground as
quickly as it can, after the ground Is in
workable order in the spring and where
plowing is done find it necessarily delays the seeling and lessens the output.
Samuel B. Hoefqen.
Crawfordsville.
Threshing From the Winrow.
Editors Indiana Farmer:
R. A. L , in your Issue of March 9th,
calls upon his fellow farmers for an interchange of views upon the binder twine
steal, which places that article far above
what we can afford to pay, with 20o oats
and 25c corn. Allow me to suggest a
practical remedy. A few years before
binders came in use I harvested my crop
of oats with a self rake, forked them on
the wagon, hauled them to the thresher
and marketed them at thesame price with
my neighbors, and it was a wet time. I
have seen grain threshed out of the stacks
in worse condition. The way to use this
remedy to the best advantage ls to organise
in companies of about 20 men; procure
four wood tine forks suitable to lift the
grain on to the wagon, and haul direct to
the thresher, in order to keep sweet. They
should determine their turns by casting
lots, and the one who is not ready when
his turn comes should exchange with the
next one that is ready. Those having
large barns should ventilate with tile or
tubes made of narrow boards. In this
way we can handle our oats crop without
a pound of twine, cheaper than we did
last year. M. J. D.
Badger.  -
 . ■»■ .	
Three fourths of the 8,000 saloons in
New York City are kept by foreigners.
The saloons of the United States average
a yearly income of $4,500 each. At this
rate, the foreigners' three.fourths of New
York's saloons take in 127,000,000 every
year.
Francis MuHPHT.the temperance evan-
galist, finished a week's labor In this city
last Sunday night. Hehad good audiences and secured 700 signatures to th«
pledge.