Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-09-10
DAKOTA NEWS.
Dakota Crop Report. :

The Agricultural Department at WASH
ington has issued its crop report for Au-
gust Regarding Dakota. the report says:
July has Teen a trying one upon the
crops. A severe drouth, beginning i'll
June, extending over nearly every part of
the Territory, has held undisputed sway
until the last week of the month, when the
local showers, light at first, but becoming
heavier and more frequent until Aug. /, it
can be said that the great drouth is broken,
although there are localities where they
have not yet been relieved by the rain.
The drouth was accompanied by excessive
heat, the temperature registering l09 de-
grees in the shade in many localities, and
as if the elements had conspired to defeat
the crops, the much dreaded "hot winds
prevailed for several days, with their
blighting influence. The Red River Valley
did not suffer from the drouth to the ex-
tent that the country did elsewhere. West,
from the center of Barnes County to the
Missouri River, the drouth was generally
very severe and the damage correspond
ingly large. Where the soil was light or
inclined to be sandy the crops suffered
most. There are localities scattered
were favored with shower at
an opportune time in which the wheat will
make good yield. In South Dakota there
is quite scope of country in which there
is a fair crop of wheat. 1t is proven that
if there is fair quantity of moisture i'll the
soil when the seed is sown it requires but
little rain to produce a good crop of wheat.
The hot winds caused great deal of injury
toIthe wheat in Southern Dakota. Heavy
hail storms occurred in North Dakota dur
ing the last of the mouth. They destroyed
the grain in large tract of country, esti-
mated at 100000 bushels. Some of the
best fields in the Red River country We're
devastated by hail. The wheat is about all
cut in South Dakota, and threshing COM
menced. 1t is too early to judge the yield
from this source. The farmers who have
threshed generally reply that it is yielding
better than expected. In North Dakota the
wheat harvest has just commenced. Re-
yield of wheat will be only 49,
100000 bushels. Such statements are
rank absurdities and not warranted by
the facts, without some other misfortune
shonld happen to it. The oat crop has suf-
fer.d from the drouth more than the wheat,
mostly because it was sown afterward.
Corn has held up remarkably during the
period of the drouth, and until the middle
of July gave promise of the best crop ever
raised in the Territory. Even now, in the
best corn counties, those in which it is the
leading crop, there is fair prospect of a
good crop. tits fair in most places where
it was planted on old ground thoroughly
worked and kept clean, though in localities
where the rain did not reach the ears will
be short and not we'll filled. Pastures are
cut by the drouth unsparingly. The wild
grass makes up in territory what it lacks in
condition. There will be plenty of pasture
by driving, but more shining has to be done
this year than ever before in the Territory
for grass. 1t has been death to timothy
sown this last spring. The seed sown was
wasted; the drouth was toe big load fol
it. Timothy hay made about half a crop