The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1893-11-23
Weather.

The long looked for change has come
at last. The dry spell is broken and
the well nigh despairing spirits OF hui
manity have new lease of hope and
faith. Only old timers can recall such
dry year as we have so far expert
enced in this section, and that one
away back in 1857 We have had
many seasons giving less crops, but
none with less grass and water. We
were fortunate to get g. 80 inches Of
rain in March, which started corn OH
we'll and put "a good season in the
ground" for cotton; and that followed
BY a. 35 inches in May prevented corn
being a complete failure and helped
forward the cotton crop. These two
months had rainfall OF S.25 inches,
while the total precipitation from Jan:
to Nov. 10 is only 10. So inches, so that
outside of March and May only 2 70
inches have fallen this year according
to my rain guage. during the
same period last year we hao
rainfall of 1890 inches.
The almanac and other weather
prophets have predicted an early and
severe winter. 1t may be the latter,
but is not the former We have not
vet had q cotton killing frost, visitor
that generally arrives during the tlrsC
week in November
The fall of temperature which ac,
companied the rain on Sunday failed
to reach the freezing point by II de-
grees, but it was felt more than a dry
frost. Cattle that have only been
able to keep on foot by the help OF dry
weather will now begin to suffer ana
die, as there is not grass or feed in the
country to supply the heat necessary
for life. Stockmen expect heavier
losses than for many years even
should we have it mild till spring.
AS it is risky to sow oats 50 late in
the fall, the operation will be largely
postponed until spring, when the
acreage will probably be less than If
sowing could have been done in Sep
TENDER and October. Farmers are
now learning the necessity Of growing
some crop to winter their stock, and If
the dry year produces that effect it
will not have been an unmixed evil.
The Cattle Outlook.
The editor of the Texas Stockman
and T ,Tmer sent out letter of enquiry
| to stockmen and farmers in 121 cOun-
ties in the state. asking for report on
the condition of live stock in their sew
eral localities, and we are told that
the replies show much worse condi-
ton of affairs than had been supposed
before the replies came in. In many
counties grass and water is so scarce
that a very large per cent of range
cattle must die, especially If the COM
ing winter should be unusually wet
and cold.
The replies showing the condition Of
cattle and the range, tell that in Al
counties the range is good and cattle
ton of cattle and the range iS put
down az fair. In 20 counties stock and
range are put down as poor, while in
81 counties cattle are in bad condition,
with but little grass and water fast
giving out. With bad winter the
ode" up in these 81 counties would
amount to so per cent and per-
haps more. Most of the
counties in which the drouth
is most severe. and where the largest
losses are lldDle TO occur are lOcdIeu III
South and West Texas, still almost
every section of the state has a dry
tier of counties. In short, taking the
state as a whole, the majority of cor
respondents report that the drouth
has been mere severe this year III
Texas than CT any time since 1857
Some contend that rain t. us late IN
the season would do more harm than
good, as it would only rot what little
grass is left. We do not adhere to that
opinion. Cattle can subsist on very
little food if they have a sufficiency Of
water. And again there is plenty o.
grass in some pastures remote from
water, and a good rain would fill the
water holes SO stock could get at this
grass. Good rains would at least pro
vide plenty of stock water and lesser
! the inevitable loss.
Trees from the Woods.
AS the tree planting season is clos
at hand, a word of caution, if ATTENDED