River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1886-08-12

fCAg AOh lCOplo nave any ICtOlltC-
tion of so long drought as that which
has prevailed over the greater part of
the West this summer. Perhaps any.
one fifty years of age can remember
some period in his life when there was
local drought in the particular locality
where he then lived, equal in severity
to that which now so generally pre-
walls. but probably none remember so
general and long continued season
when rain did not tall in quantities
sufficient to keep up some show of
vegetable growth.
In some parts of the country, and in
some sections of this state there is ut
this time nothing left for herds to
feed upon, and stock is either being
driven TO more favored localities. or
sold for fraction of its value.
Pasture fields are as dry and desti-
tute of feed as a road bed, except on
bottom lands, and there the grass is
as dry as hay and fails to give to the
dairy the essential milk flow, to which
serious obstacle the extreme heat adds
its unwelcOme hindrance TO the opera
lions of the dairymen, preventing the
improvement in quality, or even the
maintenance of quality. to offset the
loss in the quantity of production.
The drought is a serious one, and it
is matter of pleasing establishment
to learn that, in most sections of the
country there is a good harvest, and a
fair prospect that there will be no
scarcity of the small grains, and
chance for the hope that the corn
crop will be ample, if not up to the
average. AS far rs can be learned.
roots are suffering seriously, as the
drought has been severest when
potatoes and beets should have been
making their best growth, giving them
such a setback that there will be no
chance for them 10 recover, conse-
quently not more than half a crop of
roots is looked for by the producers.
Should the drought soon end the
late planted root crops will have room
TO improve materially yet, in which
case the final outcome may be more
satisfactory than now anticipated, and
the year 1886, though scorched by the
severest drought known for years,
enters the record so near the average
that nc great disturbance will be felt,
or any unusual distress follow its rain
less summer.
The chinch bug pest has only been
local, and though we are in one of
the localities where this evil has pre-
vailed, there are many fine crops of
wheat in this section, and it takes but
a few hours ride from this immediate
locality to reach the borders of their
depredatiOns and find splendid crops
of wheat, barley, rye, oats and hay,
which having made their growth be-
fore the drought checked them leave
the farmers but little or no reason to
complain.
With all the forbidding prospects
which have seemed to threaten agri-
culture, and throw a cloud over the
future, the people of River Falls have
reason to rejoice that, with such ex-
treme heat, overhead and underfoot
alike, continuing for so many weeks,
it has not brought sickness to our
midst. The health of the people is
good, thanks to a pure atmosphere,
pure water, and clean surroundings,
and though evil reports are coming
from other localities, the people of
River Falls can freely congratulate
themselves in the possession of that
which is better than abundanee-good
health.