Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1865-08-10
Prom Wells (ohicagO) Commercial Express,
August 2.
THE WEATHER AND THE
CROPS -tLB

Countryand City have alike been
thrown into great anxiety and excite
ment during the last two weeks by
the wet weather, and in fact nothing
ever was or could have been worse
in that way than the weather attend
ant or consequent upon the Hsryest
of the Northwest up to the middle OF
lastweek. The telegraph has taken
the matter in hand, and furnishes the
daily papers with brief reports from
a large section of country. Before
the skies cleared up last week, the
principal Grain markets had been
thrown into q panic in regard to the
poor prospect for Wheat, and prices
had advanced from the first start
about 30cts per. bushel, but within
the last few days, more quiet and
better assured feeling prevails, and
prices have already receded 15@l6c
from the highest point reached
1t is not easy to generalize at once
upon such crop influences as have
been at work in the last FIVE or six
weeks. The preceding drouth caused
the first few weeks of rain to be re-
garded as the greatest blessing, and
the hopes and expectations of Grain
growers all over the Northwest were
greatly enlarged; but with the long
continuance of wet apprehensions of
harm arose, and finally gave place to
certainty. How much harm has been
done, and over how great an extent
of territory, is yet very much mat
ter of conjecture. It's certain, how
ever, that the earlier the harvest the
greater has been the damage, and
that in sections so far north that the
harvest was only commenced last
week, no damage at all has been
done by the rains, but on the con-
trary, the weather has been exceed
ingly propitious, while the fine cool,
clear term now apparently fully es-
tablished, gives every assurance of
securing the remaining harvest in the
best possible condition.
1t is undoubtedly true that the
rains have been heavier and more
protracted through Ohio, Southern
Indiana, Southern Illinois, Missouri
and Kansas, than anywhere north of
that stretch of country, and as the
harvests are earlier there, and Win |
ter Wheat almost exclusively grown, !
the moderate crops cut have been
sadly diminished and deteriorated |
by the wet, the damage also extend
ing to Rye and Barley, possibly to
Oats. In portions of Illinois and
Iowa where the Rye, Barley and !
Spring Wheat harvests came on early, |
as well as where Winter Wheat forms
a portion of the crops, some damage |
has been done, especially with those
farmers unable to procure necessary
help to take advantage of the occa-
sional fine weather, but in much of
these last named sections, as well as
In most of Wisconsin, the harvest has
been and bids fair to be attended by
good weather, while in Minnesota
the crops never promised so well be-
fore as now.
Without the damage Of bad har-
vest weather, the general Wheat crop
of the Northwest would have been a
moderate one, far less than a good or
even a fair average. 1t has had
many enemies to encounter, the early !
drouth, insects; and the later rains. /
All early sown fields, whether of
Winter or Spring, stood light on the .
ground. Where the crop was early
itwas of good quality, although light,
but the wet after harvest has damag-
ed it much. Where the crop was
still growing during the rainy season, /
Except that which was too much
beaten and drenched in the blow, J t
thaheads have filled well and the
grain will be good, though the yield
per acre will be light. We do not
think that Northern Illinois, Wiscon-
sin and Iowa, have had SO light a
Wheat yield in ten years as now, ex- +
cepting, of course, the almost total
failure of the crop last year. Oats
are good everywhere. Corn is now
doing well, though it has suffered
some on low and level lands. 4