Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1863-10-02

killed the rat that eat the malt that lay in the
house that jeff. built.
FRIEND MAH1N:-Please make the marked
extracts from the "Monthly Report of the
Condition of the Crops" for August. Let it
be remembered that this report has nothing
70 do with our frcsts of September.
SUEL FOSTER.
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE,
Washington, Sept 10.
THE FROST OF AUGUST 30rH.
The frosts of August %, 20, and 80 were
among the most remarkable irregularities of
our climate, and, we fear, among the most
destructive. From intensely hot weather and
soil heated from Minnesota to Texas, that of
itself was sufficient to preserve the tempera-
ture above the freezing point for weeks Of
ordinary weather, in two days, ice was formed
of an eighth of an inch in thickness over most
of the ATTITUDES between Minnesota and the
Ohio river, AID seemingly varying in its in
ten>ity but little between these places-the
destruction of the crops of Minnesota appear
ing to be no greater than on the lands ada
cent to either side Of the Ohio.
1t was occasioned, evidently, by storm
extending from the pole to the equator, bring
i..g down the cold air from the arctic regions
Here the early morning air was pleasant, but
that of the middle of the afternoon and even
ing very dsagreeably cold for several days
At night wheE the wind fell, the heat of the
ground warmed the ar so as to preserve all
the eastern States north of Washington from
frost; but the northwestern wind, during the
day, brought down the cold air, so disagreed.
bic in the afternoon. But in the northwest
ern States, which lay more directly in the
track of the storm, the heat of the soil was
insufficient to shield against frost. To what
extent the northwest wind continued blowing
during the nights in these States we have no
present information to determine.
But one of the peculiarities of this, as of
most frosts, was its "variousness," as gener-
ally termed. And, from all accounts, it is
this which will show a much lighter damage
than at first generally supposed. 1t is proper,
| therefore, that the cause Of this should be cx-
amined into.
The extent of the Frost was great, embra.
cling the States of Minnesota, Wisconsin,
Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, parts
| of Kentucky, and the eastern portions of Mis-
souri, and Kansas, doing but little injury in
these portions. Sufficient cold to produce
| frost appears to have been from four to five
days duration in the more northern portions,
and day or two less in the southern. In
its course across the lakes and over the heat
ed earth the cold wind appears to have been
so much mitigated that when it reached the
States of New York, Pennsylvania and New
England, no frost was found, although fires
fob xr,:1 bo
that the crops in these States, and Maryland,
Delaware and New Jersey continue to promise
most abundant yield.
The returns received at the Department,
written between the third and eighth days Of
September, from all the States visited by Sc.
we're frosts. generally place the injury of the
corn crop at from one-1ifth to one-half the
whole crop; hut the average of the -tates oil
Minnesota, Michigan and Illinois is three
tenths, and of Indiana four-tenths. The to-
bacco crop is reported as injured to still
greater extent. There can be but little doubt
that this crop has suffered much more than
any other. Sorghum is Injured less - -,
corn. But it is useless to dwell la~ -. .' "a
extent of injuries that could .'eer on VI l
certained at the time The ,. ~. " ~.n as
| we must wait uDt" . 10. .epolse W.. 9 maui .s
sAlA
&c crop of flax, being uninjured by frost
may be considered for all the States excep
Delaware, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island
which do not produce it. The crop is nearly
a general average, being g bushels to tn
acre but the States producing most, a
Ohio, Indiana and Iowa, are below an average
being 8, or two busels below, and Illinois an,
Pennsylvania are 9, or one bushel below, 70
the yield of an average acre is about 10 bush
els. The great amount sown places the actu
al production far above the crop of 1862
This will be sen from the report for July
where the general average is 12O per cent
greater than the crop Of last year.
The LINT OR STRAW OF FLAX TO tn
question whether the lint or straw was saved
the returns show 2l3 yes against 46 no. Ii
the heavy flax-growing States we have, in II
linos, 20 yes, IA no; in Indiana, "a yes, L
no F.; in Iowa, u yes, no; and in Ohio, 81
yes and no. The amount of straw will b.
adequate to the demands for it, unless tn
success of the improvements in machinery
for spinning it should be such as to create
demand beyond what the want of cotton vii
produce.
The world is determined to show itself in
dependent of King Cotton, as will be seel
from the following notice of the increase Q
flax culture in Ireland, in the London None
Market Reoie0, August %:
"FLAx CULTIvAIloN.-The impetus give
to the cultivation of fbrous articles, in conse
lquence of the absence of our usual cotto
supplies from America, is shown in the larg
increase of land under fax cultivation in Ire
land this year, the total being returned a
214, 092 acres, against 100. 1910 acres last yea,
being an increase of 64,022 acres"
MAsoN's D1scIPLE.-They have Butter
nut candidate for Sheriff in Muscatine coun
ty who swallows Mason's Monarchy doctrin
without flinching He seems to like it. Il
believes it right, and, like Mason, does no
hesitate to say so. He asserts "that our Re
publican form Of government is failure an,
canno. be maintained, and that were tn
question submitted to a vote of the people h
would vote for Monarchy" Straws shoy
which wav the wind blows. When Butter