Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-08-19


here began about June l., last year. ri
last good rain fell Goth Of May, 1888,
There were light showers during Novem
Der and December, and the total rail-
from June /, 80, to January l, 's6, wa
81 inches; less than one inch per month
/ rhe rainfall at Baird for the present yea
has been as follows January, 20 Of al
inch; February, G8.100; March, 1.22
April, 05; May, 40-l00; June
none; July, 6l-l00; August, t
date, 57-l00; making tota
rainfall OF fraction over four and one
half inches In about eight months, being
only half an inch per month or only one
third of the amount needed TO make q
far crop. l speak advisedly on this sub
iect for / have farmed In Texas for about
thirty-three years and have farmed here
In Callahan county for five years. know
there are few stockmen who have
always contended that it is suicidal tc
use plow here, as farming
can not be made success
in this and adjoining counties
have made good crops here. My corn
has measured thirty bushels per acre.
Capt. Maltby has measured over fifty
bushels per acre. have measured thirty
bushels Of wheat. have made at the
rate of 800 bushels Of sweet potatoes per
acre. Water melons weighing 100
pounds have been made near the south
west corner o. this county. / had
one that weighed sixty-6ve pounds
l raised pumpkin that weighed
over fifty pounds; Hubbard squash that
weighed eighty pounds. / saw and
weighed several beets that weighed four
teen pounds and one sixteen pounds
With an average rainfall, say of the years
1882, 1873, 'S4 and 49,, can make as good
crops here, except corn, as in Tarrant or
Parker. / now give your readers
facts as to crops OF 1886. My land
is dark sandy loan, and is
good branch bottom and most of
1t new, only two to four years
in cultivation. / used good teams, I'M
proved tools, the best seed could get,
and had In about eighty acres about
twenty-five acres were farmed out for
one-third the crop. This was put in
oats, corn, millet, and an acre
of it in onions and potatoes
solanum lutierosum. My tenants did
not harvest one ounce of ANYTHING.
planted wheat, oats and corn as field
crop with one barrel of onion sets and
one barrel OF Irish potatoes. The work
was well done and was done at proper
times. The crop was total failure had
corn which, when knee high and was being
ploughed the second time, looked like 1t
would maze twenty-five to thirty bushels
per acre did not show a single silk on a
field OF eight acres-not one stalk ever
got IN condition to cut for winter feed,
| planted several quarts of fine En-
glish peas furnished me by the department
of agriculture from which | hoped to
raise some for family use and for market.
gathered only about gallon Of green
peas from the field. planted about one
hundred fine fruit trees in February and
about two hundred and fifty of the best
grapes on the market. Every tree and every
grape is now dead. Ordinarily our grass
on the commons is good even in winter.
but this year the grass has failed to grow
ana the only COW my family milks is
being fed on wheat bran that cost me
from 81 to 81 10 per 100 pounds.
l will now say to the many friends of
THE GAZETTE, and to the readers of any
other journal kind enough to copy this
article, that there are perhaps 100 or may
DE as many as 800 men who are heads of
families in Callahan county
worse OFF than | am. For these poor
people, who have labored hard to
secure bread for their wives and babes. |
ask charity. have small income and
can buy seeds and bread and shall
surely plant il rains fall SO II
can have plows run, but these
neighbors of mine, many of them need
help both in bread and seeds. There are
many persons, not only farmers, but pro-
tessional and commercial men, who can
help them. The committee authorized by
our late mass-meeting will gladly and
properly place anything coming to their
hands. Mr.. j. l.. Lea of Baird heads the
committee. They will send some per
son to Fort Worth soon to secure
help from those able and willing
TO aid our distressed people.
The Farmers alliance have Committees
appointed at Clyde and at Putnam. jim.
kushing, who is we'll known over the
state and is a member of the central re-
lief committee, will gladly place ANYTHING
sent to Baird. j. P. Msssie of CLYDE will
properly use any seeds sent him there
r. r. Shackleford, at Putnam, is men,
per OF the committee. The Texas &
Pacific railway officers are forwarding,
Tree oil transportation charges, all contri
buttons sent us at Baird, CLYDE and Put
nam, for which | can warrant our people
are very grateful. Y. p. DITr
1t Was n Gravson conn,,N,