Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1883-09-05
Letter From Minnesota.
FREEDOM. Mimi, Aug. 23d. 1888

FREEDOM, Mimi. Aug. 23d, 1888.
DEAR FIREMAN.
The harvest is now nearly past and th
{ summer Is almost ended and trust S,
, far as our material bread is concerned W.
are saved from went the coming year
The harvest this year is not large but it i
fair. Some of the guessers are putting i
at IA bushels to the acre throughout the
county on the average. Others put i
higher than that while some think it will
oe less. / judge the average of guessing
is not far from IA bushels which if it il
realized will be better than we have haC
for several years. OF course there are
great many fields where the yield will be
l9 or 20 bushels to the acre but then OF
course, too. there will be great many
others where the yield will be quite small
There is a great growth of straw this year
but our old insdious enemy, the rust and
blight, have prevented any extravagant
realization in tho yield of grain. Til
about five weeks ago there was every
outward appearance of an unusually large
yield. The straw was tall, heads were
long. blades broad and the whole had a
rich thrifty color, indicating vigorous
growth and promising an abundant har.
vest. But now came the critical time.
Everything had grown but the seed, but
everything without the seod would be like
a purse without money. Men with large
fields, large families to feed and heavy
liabilities to meet, watched the weather
and the crops with great deal of interest.
A few days would decide whether they
would b.. able to pay their debts and be
independent or become more hopelessly
involved. Five weeks ago the weather
was dry and cool just right for wheat.
Saturday, July 2lst, it was warmer,
almost hot, with heavy shower in the
afternoon. Sunday it rained all day and
the following night. Monday came but
did not bring fair weather. The grounds
was thoroughly soaked, the wheat was
lodged in many places and still it rained.
Farmers looked dubious. One told me he
thought the disappointing season of 1878
was going to be repeated. Then every
thing had promised unusually fair until
Just at harvest when the heavy rains
and warm foggy weather brought the
rust and blight until the crops were
hardly worth harvesting. A few bushels
to the acre of shriveled wheat which sold
slowly for him 25 to 60 cents per bushels
was all that was realized from that which
had promised so much. Indeed there did
seem to be strange similarity in the
seasons but there never was two seasons
exactly alike. told this farmer he
might expect a more favorable result
than then, for it could hardly be worse.
Tuesday morning brought a thin fog
which covered the whole surface of the
county and which in the minds of many
was the horbinger of utter ruin 10 the
wheat. This fog was soon dissipated by
scorching sun which sent the mer curry up
among the nineties in the shade. and
which many thought would complete the
work of destruction with the grain. Ope
man with fifty acres Of splendid looking
wheat before the rain, offered the whole of
it for one dollar per acre to any one who
wished to harvest it. No one ventured to
take his chances on it. Another who had
200 acres ready for cutting countermanded
an order of $50 90 for twine and wire to
bind it with thinking that he would have
no use for it. Shortly after this destruc
tive "spell" saw young farmer return
ing from investigating his crop and bravely
trying to look cheerful in spite of the
cherries prospect. well" said show is
your wheatp" "Oh, guess it is gone up
told him it might not be as bad as he
anticipated. He showed mo handful of
the grain he had selected at random
The blades were not only rusted and dead
but in spots along the straw it was rusted
and apparently entirely dead. Some of
the kernels were in the milk, some were
little past, while others had not quite
reached that stage. | told him it would
make something if it were dead, the
growth already reached would save it from
entire failure. Yes, he thought possibly
something might be saved if it could be
cut at once, but it would soon crinkle
down and not be worth the cost of trying
to harvest it.
| thinnc q n q 10 nc how
appeared The weather came off clear
and cool. The mercury sometimes drop
ped below GO at night and wheat heads
that were green continued TO develop their
kernels Notwithstanding the fact that the
straw was rusted and apparently dead.
There has been great reaction from the
feeling OF dependency that was expert
enced few days ago. The most of the
farmers have debts hanging over them,
many are needing improvements in order
to more fully develop the resources of
their farms, while with some 1t was
almost question of bread or starvation.
All classes of business are affected by the
conditions Of our harvosts. The difference
of few bushels to the acre, means an
immense sum TO one of these Minnesota
counties.
The corn looks we'll only it is backward.
Unless we have exceptionally good wealth.
er from this time on, corn will not come
to maturity. But last year it was even
more backward than it is now, and the
hot weather of the first of September and
the very last of August pushed it ahead
so rapidly that the frost, which came the
night of the 22nd of September, did it no