The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-06-30
Do Not Spend Your Crop Before You
Make It

hca1lon, but as an evidence OF good faltn-
Do Not Spend Your Crop Before You
Make 1t.
As general thing southern farmers have
established their crop with more ease this
year than it has been the case in some time
The months OF April, May and June af-
forded weather in the highest degree favor
able to starting the crops of corn, cotton,
potatDes and peas. Just enough rain in
perio dical showers occurred to terminate
the ifferent sowings, and give the crops
start off. Cultivation has not been inter
fered with at any time by continuous
rains. While there has been moisture
enough at the surface for the needs of the
young crops it is well known that over a
large section of the country in the south
east portion of the United States there is
greater lack of water in the underground
streams than has been the case in many
years. Thousands of wells have become
dry since January, and in thousands of
others the water is observed to be lower
than IL has ever been before. Streams in
forty to fifty feet of the surface have either
run entirely dry, or afford comparatively
little water. Since Sept. l there has been
less rain IN this part of the country than
has ever been recorded before. From that
date until Jan. "a, nearly ten months, less
than twenty-four inches of rain fall in parts
of this section, and since Jan. less than
sixteen inches. The total rainfall for 1889
amounted to forty-five inches, which
was six inches less than the
average for a number of years. A
dry autumn produced the deficiency, and
that which exists to-day has been umula-
tive since September. A normal rainfall
since Sept. / would have given us forty
inches of rain where we have had only
twenty-four. Whether this condition of
affairs is to produce sooner or later great
drought or a protracted down-pour of
water is a question that interests the practi-
cal farmer. This kind of farmer of long
experience is very well acquainted with the
fact that it has not been the years that have
given the est start off of the crops that
have proved the most profitable. 1t has hap
pened on several occasions in the past ten
years. notably in 1882 and 1899, that the
best crop, years have followed the most
discouraging start-offs that have ever been
experienced, and again, some of the best
beginnings have ended in the most unsatis-
factory crops that he has ever gathered.
A farmer should not allow himself to be-
come extr,ivagant or careless Oh the
strength of the outlook in June or July.
He should leave nothing undone that will
tend to give his cropping diversity and en-
sure the making of the very best crop ne
can, whether the seasons continue favorable
or change to the very worst possible. a
crop of cotton or corn represents little or
nothing untilit is safely housed. 1t is liable
to too many mishaps to allow of any accu-
rate judging in midsummer of the probable
results at harvest time.
If farmer is led into any extravaganza as
the result of the promising appearance of
his crops in the summer even before fruit
ing has begun he will be very likely to re-
greet it before the end of the season. Even
if nothing else happens to diminish his
crop low prices are apt to result, as a conss-
uuence of everybody making good ones,
and full crop at cents is worth no more
than three-quarter crop at 10 cents. Corn
especially falls to very Improbable figure
in our section when everybody makes large
crops of it. 1t is certainly true that
farmer must market his crop before he can
decide What money he can spend on the
strength Of that crop. 1t will not do to go
in debt Oh the strength of its bare midsum-
mer promise. A great many of our small
farmers have felt the damaging influence of
such practice. s. A. c.