The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1882-04-08
THE BARNARD BOUND soUTHwARD.

MEMPHIS Tenn, April 6.-The steamer
Gen. Barnard arrived here this evening and
turned over twenty thousand rations to
Commissioner James, of Tennessee. and
seventy five thousand to Commissioner
Hemingway, of Mississippi The steamer
starts for Vicksburg in the morning with
seventy-five thousand more rations for Mis-
sissippi. Mr.. James states that the situa-
ton is improving rapidly in this State, and
that the rations sent him will supply all de-
mand s. Mr.. Hemingway says that matters
are improving. slowly through Mississippi,
but there is still a great deal of need in
different portions of the State. The water
is declining here with fall of two inches
in the last twentyfour hours.
Mr.. r. S. Digger, a merchant of New
Madrid, Mo, informed your correspondent
that nearly all the farm lands in his coun
ty are now above water and that
all the farmers are showing a
CoMMENDABLE SPIRIT OF ENTERPRISE
in pushing all their operations. He thinks
that if nothing further happens to retard
progress nearly full crop will be made all
over the county. One hundred sacks of
seed corn and fifty sacks of grass seed left
by the Barnard from the St Louis relief
committee, were thankfully received, and
will relieve many poor farmer who has
lost his all by the flood. Mr.. Digger says
that what is now needed more than any
thing else is hay and ether coarse food for
the stock. A great many horses and mules
were lost, and what are left are reduced
almost to skeletons by starving, and unless
we'll cared for, are not in condition to
stand the extra work that will of a necessi-
ty be imposed upon them. There is abso-
lutely no feed left in the country, and 1t
will be several weeks before grass is high
enough for pasturage, and unless outside
aid comes to their relief, fears are enter
tanned that many of the remaining stock
will perish before a crop is in.
At Gayoso, Mo-, the Barnard left the
same amount of seed, also from the relief
committee. 1t was gladly hailed by the
people who desired their heart felt thanks
to be conveyed to the generous people of
st. Louis for the
VERY APPROPRIATE AID
in this their time of need. Here the water
is falling rapidly; nearly everybody is out
of the water, and crop operations are going
rapidly ahead. In this county also there
is great lack of feed stuff for stock. A
few persons saved enough seed for plant-
ing but none of them have any hay, and
that is their chief need at present. A great
many people in St. Louis entertain the
opinion, often expressed to your cores
pondent, that now that the water has sub
sided from the land the grass will begin to
grow and soon furnish enough pasturage
to maintain the stock. Such might be the
case if the stock had time for grazing, but
in the present condition of affairs this is
impossible. The farmers are accustomed,
when planting, to divide their stock into
two lots, giving each alternate days of
work and pasturage, besides their regular
feed. The great loss of stock by the flood
| renders this plan impracticable the present
season: 1t will take a constant working
of the remainder to put in a crop, and as a
natural consequence there is no time for
grazing and self-support. Your people
will no doubt see the business of this view
of the matter, and am confident viii re-
spond with their usual 1iberality.