Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1886-07-15
Drouth North, South, and East
From the Garden City Herald

!
Telegraphic and other reports confirm
the statement Of very extensive and
disastrous drouth in north western Tex
as. Thousands of cattle are perishing
with thirst Water courses and water
holes have been dried up for months.
The earth is parched and brown, and
the air is sitting as furnace. No
less reliable reports state that wide
spread and destructive drouth prevails
in central Wisconsin and Dakota.
Thousands of the best wheat farms in
, that fertile region of country are being
reploughed and planted to turuips be-
cause their wheat crops are an entire
failure. Southern Iowa, central Hi
uois and Indiana are suffering very Sc
yerely from drouth which has Yearly
ruined crops not only this, but for sew
eral proceeding seasons. We get this
information from letters, from indiyid-
uals, and from newspapers coming from
the localities named and we challenge
successful contradiction of our state
ments On this subject and We need
hardly add that conceding the state
ments to be correct they are entitled to
the serious consideration Of an intelli-
gent public.
1t is also a fact that western and
especially southwestern Kansas is free
from drouths and has had rainy sum
mers since 1880. Probate Judge
Gregory weather record carefully
kept in this city shows an ample rain
fall every summer, including the
months of July and August, during the
last Ave years. Crops planted and cul
tlvated in southwest Kansas during
that period have uniformly yielded
good harvcsts. Southwestern Kansas
crops Of this season are in excellent
condition. This quarter of the state
has been soaked to replention with rain
during the last ten days The month
Of May was dry, but the nature Of the
soil which prevents it from baking en-
abled it to retain moisture SO that the
crops were not injured. Rain about
the middle and close Of this month will
mature the corn crop in splendid con-
dition. 1t will lie an exception to the
rule if further rain is not vouchsafed us.
We insist upon the very great i'm
portaEce of this climatic superiority Of
western Kansas, as rainy section
over the drouth stricken areas of Texas
on the south, of Wisconsin and Dakota
on the north, and of Iowa, Illinois and
Indiana on the east. 1t is too extra
ordinary discrepancy not to attract
attention and command considerations
Here upon this country, this vast ex-
tcut ct treoless prairie, supposed 20 be
not yet reclaimed from its traditional
reputation of Great American Des-
ert, is recorded the fifth consecutive
year Of rain and crops while old and
presumably safe states, where crops
are supposed to be invariably produc-
tive, are suffering very severely from
drouths which if they occurred in west
ern Kansas would cause general con-
domination Of this section as rainless
aud unfit for agricultural industry.
We insist upon justice in this matter.
We demand credit for western Kansas
weather. We insis. that western Kan
sas be gwen credit for rain in season
Of unprecedented drouih in old and
coucededIy safe agricultural regions.
We ask no administration for western
Kansas. We demand comparison of
the weather in any part of the state OF
Of tie United States for TIE last five
years during which settlement has been
goingon in this section, aud we claim that
the more the question is investigated
shc morc Western Kansas will b; found !
entitled to confidence as rainy anu AZ
agricultural regicif: ress.,,..