vol. xxvn.
.7
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., AUG. 6,1892.
NO. 32
tBBEjMIAH rusk, secretary OF AGRICULTURE.
We take pleasure in presenting onr
readers with the likeness of Secretary
Rusk of the Agricultural Department. He
is a man whom the farmers of the country delight to honor, for he occupies his
high position faithfully and efficiently in
their interest.
WEATHEB OHOl   BULLETIN
- United Slates Department of Agriculture
Weather Bureau. Weather Orop Bulletin
.__." ofthejndiana Weather Service, in co-operation with the Agricultural Experiment
Station at Purdue University, ending Tuesday Aug. 2,1892. -
Warm and fair weather with much*sunshine till Friday, were very favorable to
.threshing and harvesting and excessive
rains on three days on most fields, were
very beneficial where they fell, to corn
and all growing crops and pasturage,
which- needed rain very much; wheat
threshing continues with a good yield in
the southern and central portions, but a
more inferior result in the northern; an
excellent crop of oats is harvested and being threshed; corn much refreshed by
late rains, stands well, clean and vigorous in most fislda and is maturing fast.
tobacco is in bloom, promising a good
crop, and pasturage is in good condition;
the prospect for a good fruit crop is very
discouraging.
*     NORTHERN   PORTION.    '
Point Isabel, Grant Co.—Seldom have
farmers been so hard pushed with work
as the past month; tilling corn, harvesting, haying and threshing came all at
once; but the weather was never more
favorable and everything is in good shape;
rain was needed badly, but the last days
of the week suffisient fell for all present
needs; com improved wonderfully and
with seasonable weather will make more
than half a crop; wheat is about all
threshed in excellent condition, averages
* 20 bushels per acre; other small grain
. made an average crop; the recent rains
have put the ground in good shape for
. breaking which will be commenced very
soon.
Warsaw, Kosciusko Co.—Harvesting is
completed; wheat did not yield as good as
expected; some fields yielded as low as
eight bushels per acre, others 22; much
will grade No. 3; oats filled well; the
largest crop of hay of the best quality
ever secured in this county was harvested
this year; corn is doing well in general,
some fields are still backward, much is in
tassel; rain is badly needed by corn, potatoes and all other crops; a destructive
thunder and wind storm passed over the
county from southwest to northeast doing
much damage.   Rainfall, 0.G0.
Haw Patch, LaGrange Co.—The weather
was perfect and the rainfall all that was
needed; the oats harvest commenced,
there is a good deal of smut, but the yield
is better than last year; fall plowing has
commenced but the ground is very hard.
RainfaU, 0 52.
LaPorte, LaPorte Co.—The excessive hot
time was broken by a cold wave with light
rain on the 28th; corn in favored locations
is now tasseling out; oats is ripe and is
being cut and will be a good crop where
put in early and not injured by water;
wheat is being threshed and the yield is
disappointing, the quality inferior, grading in market largely as No. 3 and rejected;
cucumbers and tomatoes are now doing
finely; blackberries are ripening and now
promise a good yield.   Rainfall, 0 50.
Lafayette, Tippecanoe Co.—The first part
of the week was excessively warm; the
cold wave reached us on Friday; local
showers have been abundant and on Friday and Saturday nearly steady light rain
fell.   Rainfall, 1 04.
Hatch's Mills, LaPorte, Co.—Corn has
grown finely during the past week. The
rains on Thursday night and Friday,
cooled the air considerably; from the
221 to the 27th the days were unusually
warm, and the nights sultry; this weather
was very beneficial to the growth of corn;
oats harvesting has just commenced, and
the greater portion of the crop will bs cat
this week.   Riinfall, 0.50.
Angola, Steuben Co.—The whea"; is
nearly all harvested, good condition;
corn is doing well, but is greatly in need
of rain; pastures are getting short; the
apple crop is an utter failure. Rainfall,
0.13.
Columbia City, Whitley Co.—The temperature during the week was much above
the average and it was too dry for corn
and potatoes, as we have had only 0.43
inch of rain in four weeks; some local
showers fell over small areas. The prospect for corn is not good; wheat is below
the average in quality and quantity.
RainfaU, 0.25. .
Marion, Grant Co.—A good rain on Friday materially benefitted all growing
crops and now oorn wiU be far from a faU-
nre; wheat threshing is progressing rapidly, the yield is about 20 bushels per acre,
grade No. 3.   Riinfall, 2.33.
CENTRA-, PORTION.
Indianapolis, Marion Co.—Very favorable weather prevailed the greater part of
the week for threshing, which still continues; the last few days rain fell in sufficient quantity, doing much good to all
growing crops; corn continues to grow
nicely, standing clean and vigorous in the
field.   RainfaU, 1.27.
Franklin, Johnson Co.—The tempera
ture, sunshine and rainfall, the latter be
low average, were beneficial to all growing
crops; the first half of the week the
weather was very warm and the latter
part, after a few local thunderstorms was
quite pleasant for farm work; corn is
growing fairly weU but is getting weedy
fast, rain is needed in some localities;
heard katydids on the 27th.  RainfaU, 0.50.
Mauzy, Rush Co.—Until Saturday it
was very hot; the rains on Friday and
Saturday wUl make most of the corn;
wheat grades well, from 57 to 61 pounds
per bushel; the aoreage was not as large
as last year but the yield is better and
there wiU be more wheat than last year.
Rainfall, 0.88.
Cambridge City, Wayne Co.—The corn
is fiae, with the ears beginning to hang
down; some tobacco Is in bloom with a
promise of an early and good crop; early
potatoes are ripe; the rains were local and
passed around some fields where they
were most needed.   RainfaU, 188.
Irvington, Marion Co.—The high temperature and refreshing rains have made
oonditlons very favorable for all kind of
growing crops including pasturage; oorn
especially is doing weU;   oats is in shock
and being threshed; yield excellent; no
apples but a fair crop of pears and peaches.
Rainfall, 1 82.
Connersville, Fayette Co.—The conditions of the weather were very favorable
to crops, especially the light, steady rain
helped corn very much.   RainfaU, 0.55.
Shelbyville, Shelby Co.—The hay crop
was all saved last week; It is large and of
extra quality; the growth of corn lately
has been immense; wheat threshing was
delayed by local, In some fields heavy
showers.   RainfaU, 0 52.
SOUTHERN POBTION.
Princeton, Gibson Co.—Fine weather for
threshing wheat prevailed; the yield is
better than has been expected; it was very
hot on many days, from 90 to 99°; oorn
looks weU but needs rain; there wiU be a
short crop of applea and peaches; farmers
have commenced to plow.   R.infall, 1.40
Jasper, Dubois Co.—Uay is nearly all
cut and housed; the crop Is very good;
corn is doing weU but rain is needed; if
no early frost injures it corn will be a
plentiful crop.   No rain.
New Albany, Floyd Co.—The tempera
ture during the week has been very warm
the greater part; the past few days cooler;
the rains were badly distributed and corn
in some fields is suffering for it; in some
localities heavy rains fell, in others none;
peaches and plums have rotted badly.
Rainfall, 0.19.
Worthington, Greene Co.—The hot
weather with rains last week set the corn
'■booming" even the smallest corn is doing weU and under favorable conditions
lt wiU yield something; wheat threshing continues with a fair turn out and
good grain.   RainfaU, 0.50.
Vevay, Switzerland Co.—Excessive
heat prevailed until the 26th, when a moderate thunder-storm afforded decided relief to growiDg crops which recovered
from the effect of the drouth. RiinfaU,
0 40.
Mount Vernon, Posey Co.—The late
planted corn is growing nicely; wheat is
quoted at .5 cents, corn at 50 cents. Rainfall, 0 31.
De G.nia Springs, Warrick Co.—The
past week has given us perfect corn
weather; tne temperature, sunshine, and
rains were all greatly beneficial to the
growth of corn; hay is all made; alarge
crop was secured in good condition; much
wheat remains to be threshed; the quality
and yield are both good; breaking ground
for wheat has commenced. RainfaU,
0 87.
Seymour, Jackson Co.—Weather conditions during the past week have been very
favorable for farm work and growing
crops; high temperature, abundant sunshine, and generous showers have revived
the grasses and caused corn and other fall
crops to grow luxuriously; many farmers
have commenced plowing for wheat; and
much wiU be sown early; the melon crop
is a disappointment; the fruit is late,
small, and of poor flavor; other late crops
are in good condition; Uve stock is thriving, but fat cattle and hogs are scarce;
wheat threshing is about completed, and
much of the grain has been marked in
prime condition; some farmers are stowing their wheat for higher prices; the corn
promise Is good, and altogether the outlook is favorable; no noxious insects.
RainfaU, 0.97.
H. A. Huston,
Director Indiana Weather Service.
Per C. F. R. Wappenhans,
Local' Forecast Official, Assistant Director. V. S. Weather Bureau.
Sowing Rye for Seed.
Editor. Indiana Farmer:
I sent east last year for one-half peck of
excelsior rye.  I sowed the first of Octo
ber and this week we threshed six bushels, and as I am not used to raising rye I
wish to ask what is the best time to sow
for seed. I do not care to pasture it, if
that wiU injure it any from producing a
large crop. Robt. Rogers.
Hendricks Co.
—It is often said that pasturing wheat
and rye for a few weeks in early spring
does them no in j ary, but we doubt the
truth of the statement. Sow in September or October; a bushel to the acre of land
is fairly good and you want grain. A
bushel and a half is better if forage is
wanted. You got a very good yield from
your half peck of seed. The usual average
ln this State for several years past has
been only 11J_ bushels per acre. In Massachusetts, under the best cultivation, the
average is only 14 bushels.
Southwestern Nebraska.
Editors Indiana Parmer:
R9d WUlow county is located in the far
famed Republican Valley, which is so
widely and justly known for its beauty
and fertiUty. The river .runs through the
central part of the county and a number
of streams empty into the river in the
county. Timber grows along these streams
where wood can be had at a dollar a load
and posts at six cents a piece.
The prairie is fine fanning land. Many
thousands of acres are beautiful slopes,
sloping jast sufficient for good drainage;
nine tenths is self draining. The soil is a
dark loam three to five feet deep; fiae,
very easily worked and remarkably productive. Last season many wheat fields
yielded thirty to thirty-five, and some
forty bushels per acre; rye twenty-five to
forty; oats as high as eighty, and corn
seventy-five, present crop prospects are
fine. I farmed 28 years in Iowa and 11
here and have raised as good crops here as
there. There are no ponds or sloughs; no
gumbo, hard pan rocks, gravel or sand in
the soil. Timothy and clover do weU, but
alfalfa is the grass here. It is cut three
times a year and yields about two tons
each cutting. It is preferable to Timothy
or clover for hay.
The climate is fine, air light and pure,
no malaria or throat and lung troubles;
asthma and ague are unknown; winters
are mild and short and spring opens early.
Seeding commences in January and some
plowing was done and some wheat sown
in^January last. Frost _e.d_m comes untU October. I never saw any soft corn
here. Indian summer lasts eight to
twelve weeks. Stock graze on the prairie
nine months in the year; for twelve years
stock have not been fed three months in a
year. For raising and feeding stock this
ls the stockman's home.
Apples, crab apples, cherries, plums,
pears, peaches, apricots and small fruits
are raised.
The county is settled mostly by Americans. School and church facilities are
good. Taxes are low, six dollars to twelve
dollars per quarter.
The country is new and land is cheap,
some quarters of good land partly improved within five to eight miles of the
station can now be had for eight to ten
dollars per acre; $400 tc $800 cash, balance
time. One tract of 57C acres, all level bottom land, fenced, timber and water, frame
house of five rooms, barn, eto. can now be
had for $11 per acre; one third cash, balance
three to four years at seven per cent. Land
is going up quite fast and the sooner
bought now the better. It is cheaper now
than it wiU ever be again.
If those wanting to buy land here wiU
caU at my farm seven miles northwest of
McCook, I wiU show them the country
except on Sunday, but will on no conditions show land on the Sabbath.
Wimjam Coleman.
McCook, Neb., Box 13.