VOL. XXVII.
INDIANAPOLIS. INDM JULY 16,1892.
NO. 29
WEATHER CHOP BULLETIN  .;.
United Stales Department of Agriculture
Weather Bureau. Weather Crop Bulletin
ofthe Indiana Weather Service, in co-operation with the Agricultural Experiment
Station at Purdue University, ending Tuesday July 12,1892.
R.in fell only on few days, the amount
was deficient and badly distributed, as
none fell on many fields; tbe temperature
was every day below normal and there
was average sunshine. Although too
cool, the conditions were very favorable
for all farm work "and growing crops;
wheat is now in shock everywhere, and
thieihing has begun inthe southern and
central portions; the yield is good, both in
quantity and quality and better than expected; corn is growing nicely and with
good cultivation, it stands well every
where, promising agood orop. The oats
yield a fsplendid crop it is the best in the
past four years; the hay crop now being
pat up rapidly, is very good; all vegetables
are luxurious and abundant. Apples
continue to fall and but few are left; the
melon crop will not be a% good as usual.
SOUTHEBN POBTION.
Vevay,  Switzerland  Co.—The  weather
has been pleasant  for comfort;  but less
beneficial to maturing crops; the low temperature, which, prevailed  waa  unfavorable to corn  and  tobacco; and  the  rot
^Mc_&__c-a--gif_^es,""Is"by' mt__y7i'l„ttr_-
buted to the same cause; potatoes,  oats,
and hay, will ^exceed the average;   the
wheat crop cultivated on  bottom  lands
along the Ohio river, is  yielding  from 25
to 30 bnshels to the acre; large quantities
hive already been  received for shipment
and sold for70 cents per bushel; that raised
several miles back of the  river,  -will  not
yield more than 14 to 15 bushels per acre;
the fruit crop will be short; especially apples will be scrace and imperfect.   Rain-
Mi, 0 62.
Princeton, Gibson Co.—The past week
there was very floe weather with the exception of the last two days; whioh have
been cloudy, drizzly and cool; wheat
thrashing commenced in earnest on the
5th; the yield seems satisfactory and most
of it wiU be marketed just from the machine; corn looks well; meadows are fine;
plums are ripening; apples are still falling
off badly and the melon crop looks as if it
would be a partial faUure. R.infall,
180.
Worthington, Greene Co.—Some wheat
was threshed last week; but the straw was
«»damp; and occasioned a loss; wheat
turns out very well and the grain is
plump; the earliest planted com is doiDg
quite well; that planted somewhat later
"not so good and the last planted is
really doing badly and never can give
r®.n a moderate yield; the oats crop is the
oest we have had for three or four years;
meadows are fair but contain too maDy
weeds to make good hay.   Rainfall, 0 05.
Marengo, Crawford Co.—The weather
rt« UnusnalIy °°ol 'or July but very
now  -" f°r fMm Work; wheat Btaoking Is
_Uv °rder Where not t0° damP to
J.1 the hay harvest has begun and
""■ch grass has been cut. RilnfaU, 0.05.
** Albany, Floyd Co._No rain fell
ben.fl!-emperature and -"-nshine were
rr_ »7 to ^y^K and threshing and all
er____^80r0p8; wheat threshing has pro-
_rH!_;rapldlyai-dtheyleldand   quality
-rat,. n rf,t6; th8 oato harveat flas J"* be-
Sl"11.    «», the hay crop is very
e and secured so far without any rain:
-«uriou.ly.e8eUblee  Me «"rowto«  most
i.' J**8011 Co-Altogether the
very fl ^ng tte P*8* week has been
Wheat I9 f0r the hay harvest and
growth _i^_Ung' bQt too «x>l for rapid
M tne oora crop; wheat ia yielding
well and the grain is large and plump-
above an average in quantity and quality;
fruits and berries are shorter crops than
were promised earlier in the season; the
melon crop will bo- very late and only
fairly good; the hay .yield is abundant
and fine and pastures are excellent; some
farmers are still "working" corn; if frosts
come late, the yield will be an average;
late vegetables are doing well, especially
potatoes; plowing for .wheat will begin
ina few days; no noxious insects. No
rainfall.
DeGonia Springs, Warrick Co.—Beautiful gentle rains were very beneficial to
the corn, oats, aud pastures; threshing reports say that wheat is turning out as
well as last year; the price is 65 cents;
hay is ripe.   R.infall, 78.
Troy, Perry Co.—The week has been
cool with light rains on Tuesday, Friday
and] Saturday, making it unfavorable for
curing hay; corn doing well; wheat being
threshed, and a good yield; barley excellent crop.
Mt. .Vernon, Posey Co.—The wheat crop
is a fair average and of good quality.
CENTRAL, POBTION.
Irvington, Marion Co.—No rain fell and
temperature and sunsnine were beneficial
to crops and harvesting of wheat and hay;
the weather was excellent for harvesting;
an average, crop of wheat is in shock; a
large crop of hay is mostly in the barn
and stack in splendid—condition;- oats
promise well but apples are nearly all
gone.
Cambridge City, Wayne Co.—Wheat in
the valleys is cut and threshing will commence next week; on the clay lands it is
not sufficiently ripened yet and the crop
may be poor the heads having not filled because of excessive moisture followed by
great heat during June; there will be a
good yield of oats; barley has been
threshed near here with a yield of from
48 to 50 bushels per acre; the apparent
blemish disappears when the grain has
been soaked 24 hours, therefore buyers
have no reason to cut the price; the oorn
generally excites admiration, however in
the southwest part of tbe county, there is
considerable injury done by the grub
worm; the crop of large fruit is said to be
a failure; a good crop of timothy is being
harvested; no rain.
Franklin, Johnson Co.—Wheat threshing just commenced, the crop will not
turn out as well as expected; corn growing well for cool"weather; no very hot
weather the past week but very favorable
for alLkinds of work; much wheat will
be threshed the coming week; oats getting ripe and looks well, potatoes doing
well; fewer bugs than usual; apples and
pesches dropped badly and will be scarce;
hay making progressing lively and is a
fine crop; range of temperature 56 to 90°.—
Rainfall, .10.
Ashboro, Clay Co.—The wheat is all cut
and threshing is begun; the first yield is
from 12 to 15 bushels per acre on uplands,
which is better than was expected; the
quality is fair and sells for 70 cents per
bushel; haying is in progress and corn is
doing well.   RainfaU, 1.21.
Farmland, Randolph Co.—No rain fell
since the 31, Vhen 0 25 fell; the temperature and sunshine were beneficial to harvesting and growing crop*; farmers have
had a fine week for taking care of the
wheat and grass; most of the wheat is cut
and is of bettor quality than first anticipated. ' '
NOBTHEBN   PORTION.    .
Haw Patch, LaGrange Co—No rain since
the 3d» and the temperature and sunshine
were beneficial to corn, harvesting and
haymaking; nearly all the wheat is in
shock and very muoh fine hay has been
made; corn has been worked and all are
happy; raspberrlw and grapes are flne but
applp-j soiree. -■'.■_
Warsaw, Kosoiusco Co.—On the 2d there
was much rain and wind which softened
the ground and lodged the grain, but during the favorable weather the rest of the
week, most of the wheat was put in shock
and clover hay was made; oats ia doing*-
well but corn is not so promising just now
as it can not be tended to because of harvesting.
Marion, Grant Co.—The weather for the
past week has been favorable for farm
work except the first two or three days,
when it was too wet from Saturday nights
rain; wheat is about all harvested; haying
is progressing very well; corn is growing
rapidly but most of It is small, being in
great many cases the third planting; the
hay crop will be the only crop that will be
any thing like full.   R.infall, 3.37.
Angola, Steuben Co.—For several days
past it has bean favorable weather for farm
work, good for wheat and corn; the farmers
have been busy making hay, all gotten up
in good shape;harvesting has commenced,
crop below average.   No rain.
Columbia City, Whitley Co.—The past
week below the average temperature;
there was a slight frost on Monday morn
ing; the cutting began the first of the
week and has progressed rapidly, it is not
so much damaged by wet weather as supposed ; corn is small.
Hatch Mills, laPorte Co.—Wheat har
vest just fairly commenced and mostly in
good order to cut, if the weather. is favor
able nearly all will be cut the coming
week, prospects favorable for a good crop ;
about half of   tlio corn   small for thia time
of year and many fields will have to be
neglected on account of so much rain, the
farm work, harvest, haying, eta, all come.
at once this time and work is crowded;
oats on prairies look mostly good, but in
the woods country and hilly lands the
fields are badly washed by the rains, oats
are poor.   RainfaU, 1.00.
Lafayette,-Tippecanoe Co.—No rain, the
temperature and sunshine beneficial to
crops in general and harvest work; wheat
is aU in shock and threshing has begun;
corn is in good condition but small.
H. A. Huston,.
Director Indiana Weather Bureau,
.   Per C. F. R. Wappenhans,
Assistant Director.
Local Forecast Official, U. S. Weather
Burean.
Written for the Indiana Farmer.
Transportation Problems.—No. 12.
BY JOHN M. STAHL.
In the preceding article I advocated the
development of our water transportation.
Of course tbis can be done only by fitting
our natural water ways for the artificial
uses of commerce. This means the expenditure of money upon these water
ways; and I am aware that the advocacy
of such expenditure is not calculated to
increase a person's popularity. But we
must not judge what should be done or
what could be done from the River and
Harbor appropriations—those gigantic
steals of money spent without intelligent
design or system, not where it will most
benefit inland navigation, but where it
will influence the most votes and otherwise best serve the poUtlcal interests of
the severs 1 congressmen. The publio sentiment of the country, now breaking
loose from its unholy alliance with railway propagandism, should be appealed to
by the farmers and aU other patriotlo people to secure liberal appropriations, to be
expended by a bureau created for that purpose, anu largely officered by eminent
civil engineers; appropriations to be expended systematically in the execution of
a plan prepared by highly competent
men and embracing the judicious Improvement of thelwatw ways of the entire
country.
The God of nations has been more generous to us than to any other people. He
has given us fertile lands and rich mines,
while a  thousand  streams  dance to the
l. The rich prairies and fertile valleys
smUe a welcome to the farmer, and there
are grains and fruits upon a milUon farms;
the hills and mountains whisper of the
rich stores they hold, and from them coal
and iron and gold and other precious metals are brought forth; the streams, in silvery tones, with rippUng music, call for
the freights of commerce, but that call is
not heeded—of burdens of grain or ore
their bosoms bear few indeed. We should
remedy this strange neglect. To give due
honor to this third of the trinity of national prosperity is the part of wisdom
aud patriotism.
While I attach so much importance to
the development of water transportation,
I am not unmindful that proper legislation duly enforced will prove a powerful
agenoy in preventing extortionate charges
or unjust discriminations by the railways. It is true that railway legislation,
as it has been called, has been a favorite
device; but as the motive for enacting it
has been dislike of the railways rather than
a real desire to secure economy in transportation, and as these laws are, naturaUy
enough, considering their ration d'etre,
not well enforced, the result has rarely
been what was hoped for.
It must be confessed that th.re are good
grounds for this dislike of railways, but
the proper location of the blame is rarely-
perceived. At the close of the war circumstances wore ripe for the development of what has been well termed "the
railroad craze," and this craze received the
tenderly fosteiing care of shrewd men.
Skillfully framed appeals led the people
to any worthless stocks,to vote township,
town, city and county bonds, to donate
rights of way and valuable terminal privileges, and, in some cases, large sums of -
money donations, bonds, stocks and land'
grants in some cases almost *paid for the
roads. Then for some mysterious reason
it was so heavily bonded and mortgaged
that it had to be "reorganized," put in the
hands of the receivers, bought in by certain bondholders, reorganized again and
so on, untU the common people found
that their bonds and their stock were
worth nothing, and now, notwithstanding
all that the railroads have obtained by
gift and by fraud, the roports of the Inter-
State Commerce Commission show that
the railroads of the country havea bonded
indebtedness of $28,266 per mile. In fact,
the bended indebtedness of the railways
more than equals their stock, much as
railway stocks have been watered. The
funded indebtedness of western railroads
is not far from J35.00O per mile—more than
cost! To sum up: The railway kings
got the people to pay a large part of the
oost of the roads; these kings then sold
bonds to an amount greater than the cost
of the roads and pocketed theprooeeds;
and yet issued and watered' stocks until
they own and control the roads, and of
their general poUcy of "the public-be
damned," the farmer is the special, most
frequent and most injured victim. Itis
not strange that the farmer is certain that
the railway transportation of his products
costs him too much, or that he much desires that railroad managers be closely
hedged about by law. -
The season has much to do with the
mode of culture best adapted to the crops
in cultivation. Oue farmer says: "The
level cultivation of nearly all crops, both
in field and garden, ls*to be preferred to the
old and ones popular method ot hilling..
Level culture ia more expect tio _s, less
laborious, and ensures a more even distribution of moisture." But this year the
ridge or hlJJ sy_te_a was certainly prefer-
able,