Weekly graphic. [volume] (Kirksville, Adair Co., Missouri) 1880-1949, 1891-11-27
WEATHER AT LONG RANCE.
Drouth Predicted for Next Year

W. T. FOSTER IN QUINCY JOURNAL.
] predicted that winter weather
would occur in the northern noun
tains early in October, and that it
would gradually spread to the val
leys earlier than usual. Careless
newspaper editors have comment
ed on this 30 as to make the i'm
preston that l predicted winter to
begin all over the country in Octo-
Der. The middle Of November
would be very, and November "a
unusually, early for real winter
in the middle latitudes of the
United States, and there is ample
time after these dates for a long
hard winter.
Some of the cotton planters and
dealers for Il time, regarded my
prediction that the cotton crop
this year would not exceed that of
last year, AS a mistake, but they
now see that J. was right. Early
frosts, extremes of weather, exces-
siye rains and excessive drouths
haye each taken hand in cutting
down what. at one time, promised
to be the largest crop ever grown,
and now the crop is reported as
being less than that of last year.
Expecting an early winter, and
the weather being dry and favor
able for picking, the planters have.
made unusual speed in gathering
their cotton, and this has thrown
the cotton so rapidly into the mar
ket that New York and English
spectators have made use of it to
depress the prices, claiming that
the crop WAS the largest ever
grown.
Cotton picking is about over
and there is a great and sudden
falling off in the number of bales
taken TO market. After criticising
my predictions as to damages that
would surely result to the cotton
crop, the dealers and planters now
see that | WAS right.
To some extent the same is true
of the cora crop. Farmers antlci.
pated an early wiuter and rushed
the gathering which makes the
crop appear larger than it is and
spectators are using this to de-
press the prices. At the same
time nearly all the corn is cribbed
and the cetton ginned, fully four
weeks earlier than usual. The
crops are good but not SO great as
represented.
These preliminaries open the
way for very important long
range forecast and | make it this
early in order that planters, farm
ers and local dealers may have the
advantage of it. A serious drouth
will affect the crops in the cotton
states and the south half of the
corn belt next year. This drouth
will not be general over the dis
trict mentioned above, hut will oc-
cur in very large spots along and
south of the 10th degree of north
latitude. The same influences
that caused the drouth this fall
will be much greater during the
crop growing season next year.
The storm centers will cross the
continent far to the north as they
have for three months past and
this invariably causes dlouth and
very hot weather south of the
storm tracks. The heaviest rains
next year will occur in the high
lands and near the 18th degree OF
north latitude.
Those who were reading my
weather letters in 1890 will te-
member that | predicted good
crops for the United States for
1891, except in the extreme north
and the extreme southwest. Next
summer will be as excessively
warm as the past spring and sum-
mer, prior to August, were exces-
sively cool.