The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-03-03
KILLED BY THE FREEZE.
THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS DAMAGE
ON TIE TRUCK FARMS.

Marcia FURRY CT Snow in Savan-
nah and a Squat at Tybee-Ice q
Quarter ofaa Inch Thick Formed-The
Pea and Strawberry Crops e Total
Loss - The Potato Crop Badly
Damaged - Fruit Blooms Damaged
and Figs and Peaches Krled-A Gen
eral Destruction OF Vegetation -
Obtainable To-day.
Snow in Savannah.
The mercury down to 26s.
Ice a quarter Of an inch thick
That is yesterdays extraordinary weather
record. No such a severe cold snap has
visited this section since 1878, when on
March mercury dropped to 27a. At z
o'clock yesterday morning it was 90, an
hour later 27s, and the maximum tempera-
ture reached during the day was only S7e
at O'Clock.
At midnight yesterday morning the wind
had obtained a velocity of twenty miles an
hour, and was from the northwest That
direction was steadily maintained up 70 a
late hour last night, and twice yesterday
morning, at and at IL o'clock, a velocity
Of % miles was reached. At s O'Clock last
night, the time of taking observations at
the signal station, the wind had dropped TO
four miles an hour, but all through the day
it ranged from fifteen to twenty miles; all
the forenoon it was freezing.
There was a slight fall Of snow between
10 and IL o'clock, registered by Signal
Observer benson as 'a trace" II also
showed at Tybee, something which has not
occurred there within the recollection Of
the Oldest inbabitant.
RUIN ON THE TRUCK FARMS.
Jack Frost raided the truck farms and
gardens from o'clock yesterday morning
until noon, and last night he completed his
destructive work.
A MORNING NEWS reporter took drive
over the truck farms around Savannah in
the afternoon, and with the wind blowing ten
TO fifteen miles an hour and mercury down
to 35', it was anything but pleasant trip.
The devastation 10 vegetation was notice
able on every hand. Peas ready for pick
ing are ruined, and the younger pods and
blooms are hopelessly blasted. The weather
was too cold for the sun TO show the full
effect of the freeze. but enough was seen TO
indicate that the eArly pass viii be a total
loss. The vines had already began to fall,
aud when the suns rays grow warmer they
will withar.
TIE PEA CROP RUINED.
On Maj G. Il. Ryals' placs the most
promising PEA CT Is Of three paintings are
blasted. Tais Eaak was 70 have been a busy
one picking for the northern market, but
not pea cau Dc shipped from the farms for
the next SIX weeks o. two months.
Maj. Ryzls had q promising strawberry
crop, which has shared the fate of the peas,
as the ripe and green berries and blooms are
blasted
The cabbage plants were affected, but not
10 as great degree as the other vegetables.
Maj. Ryals, in discussing the outlook,
said that he thinks that it will not
be necessary to replant the peas, as
after awhile suckers will put out and bear,
but it will be a month or more before he
can have peas for shipment. Ho thinks that
other blooms will come out on the straw
berry vines, and there will be a second
crop of berries. This he says will also be
true of raspberries, blackberries and dew
berries all of which were in full bloom,
and were bias ed.
GENERAL DESTRUCTION.
The same destruction to vegetation was
seen at Louis u. Ryals' place. A very fine
stand of peas on Cemetery and Gwinnett
streets would have been ready to pick in a
few days, but they are blasted, and the
vines had begun TO droop yesterday after
noon.
M. L. Exley says the frost killed every
thing in the line of perishable vegetation
west Of the city. The farmers in his imme-
date section took advantage of the timely
warning Of the signal bureau, as announced
in the MORNING NEWS, and covered their
beans and potatoes, but the pea crop is a
total loss
Mr.. Exley had eight acres Of early peas,
and was to have couusocsi picking for
the northern markss dzy after to-morrow.
He estimates his La az sl-9Jg. Tie Their
mometer registered ZT' &c Is pace ysster-
dav morning, and the A1S wzs nearly
quarter OF an inca snIcx
Fletcher Exley nad = E1s crop Of peas,
and picking for shipment WA % lave begun
this morning, but JACK FrcS5 plzczsd them
instead.
THE FARMS EAST OF TIE CTYY.
A drive over the truck farms On the
Waters road was taken. The truckers were
all housed up, and had big roaring frea
They are very much discouraged, as the
greater part Of their labor has been lost
Peas. berries, and young cabbage have been
destroyed.
Jacob Cell says that he viii not trust TO a
second growth of peas, but will replant as
soon as the cold wave has spent its force.
Anticipating cold snap, he reserved patch
OF ground that he planted in peas last Fri
day, but his first three paintings he will
turn under and replant "My berries are a
total loss" he said, "and don't look for
much in a second crop. The freeze has
been too hard, and of course tonight will
finish then.n
SOME POTATOES SAVED.
Mr.. Cell had potatoes just out of the
ground, but he says he thinks that by run
ming a cultivator in the patch and covering
the tops with fresh earth he can save the
crop, but the growth will be retarded and
the potatoes will not come into the market
so early. His beans were cut down and will
have to be replanted.
'How long before the shipment Of Saw
annah peas can be resumedp Mr.. Cell was
asked
sit will be fully six weeks, and probably
eight weeks before Savannah peas can come
into the market again." Mr. Cell replied.
What effect the freeze has had on the
large crop of potatoes on the Augusta road
has not yet been learned. 1t is learned
that the crop was much further advanced
than the later paintings near the city, One
planter said last night that he has eight
acres in potatoes with the vines five or six
inches above the ground, and that if
heavy dew last night was followed by
freeze this morning, the crop will be total
loss. AS the humidity was but So last
night, it is not believed that dews fell in the
country last night, and the,potatoes may be
saved.
MIGRANTS FROZEN UP.