The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1891-10-22
Havoc Among the Wheat.

The latest reports from Northern Min
nesota and North Datotah as far west
as the Missouri River, "a Minneapolis cor
telegraphs, are Of the most
character. 1t has been
showing and raining all over that sec
ton for eighteen hours and not wheel
is turning among the tbreshing ma
chimes 1t is calculated that from 2,000,-
900 to 5000, 600 bushels of wheat will be
utterly ruined.
mo one has the faintest conception of
the devastation in the Red River Val
ley,n exclaimed Colonel 2. b. Walker,
with an ominous shake of the head, last
evening. II have inst returned from
trip in that section, and it made my
heart ache to witness the ruins. In Or
der to appreciated, one must actually
see it. There are thousands of acres OF
simply wonderful wheat almost utterly
destroyed by the rains and the wind
Day after day we traInped in slush
across fields-fields half-knee deep. l
went out with Government surveying
party to establish town lines, and the
mud and rain broke up our party and
we were forced to abandon the work en-
tirely The reports published in the pa
pers do not half cover the devastation.
As far as the eye can reach in every di-
rection are great big shocks of wheat,
and it all would have graded No. hard
had it been thresbed out before the
rains fell Now nothing can be done.
1t is too late to save even a mOdicnm.
Were the shocks in a condition to be
threshed out, it would be a physical im>
possibility to do anything with the crop
for the reason that teams cannot haul
the wheat to the threshers nor haul fuel
to the engines.
1.-The difficulty in the first place arose
over getting help to do the threshing,
but the railway companies succeeded in
getting both men and machines into the
field, and when they arrived they were
powerless. The mud was so deep that
the horses mired, and nothing can be
done now till the sun dries out both the
soil and the shocks of wheat. 1t is pain
full to stand on a prominence and sur
vev the situation. Everywhere thresh-
ing machines are visible, all abandoned,
and the wheat for hundreds of. miles is
ruined.
Current Fun.
Jenkins, does your wife ever threat
en- you p 'Bless you, no. She just
goes and does it !''-Kate Fields Wash
ington.
Charge it to the State sinking fund,
said the canal captain as his old boat
went to the bottom.-Banghomton Re
publican.
"And what do you think of the sing
err, Franklin % "Oh it was perfectly
grand I've heard many a belladonna,
but never one like her.
When a man denies that he is wear>
ing shoe too small for him step on his
feet and ten to one he will acknowledge
the corn.-E1nsira Gazette.
81 own a thousand acres Of land" said
the heiress ''How delightful. p 4" And
there are 30 young men after me p For
the lands sake ~ Eyes. '-Nea0 York
Press.
Mrs. Payne very deaD--Is your hus-
band still troubled with chiijs? Mrs.
Bacon-He is dead Mrs. Payne (inis
understanding | AIN delighted
to hear that he has no more chills.-
| NeaO York Herald.
Since the opening of the school term
the great need of the small boy is a pair
of shoes that will hurt so that he can
not walk to school, but will fit him like
glove when he wants to play tag
Scranton Truth.
Johnny said the minister severely,
''do you know where the little boys who
swim on Sunday go?" "Oh, most any
place where they amt likely to be no
wimmin passin','' was Johnny's reply
| Wdshialgtoa, Star.
'I'm glad Mortimer is to marry wife
with no false pride and with some prac-
tical knowledge of house keeping" Has
Miss Van Dackats any of that p why,
yes. This paper says she looked very
handsome sweeping up the avenue yes
| terday.-Neac York Herald
|