Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1894-09-11
tfFGcrs or rHI DROUGHT IN
IOWA.

4 sHts"t Nstetb hNus~fs<'
tfFtcrs or TIE DROUGHT IN
IOWA.
The droaght continues ne severe as
ever. The corn fields ~iihou, exception
show plainly its dreadful effects. Acres
are fired 10 the last blade, aud In every
direction are seen the steadily lncreas-
Ing rows % corn shocks. The ordinary
binder l. used where the stalks are
short, but generally homemade sleds
armed wlth cutters are worked, which,
drawn by two horses, cut two rows At q
time.
There va. an Immense breadth Of corn
planted last spring, 40 that % fodder
there Will doabtless be no lack. Every
swale u no~ appreciated. The grass l.
huslsnded az never before. and old
straw stack. are nov carefully looked
after. However, I do not think that
there l. much apprehension that the
coming winter viii not be comfortably
tldei over. There are farmers With
sufiiciency ~ old hay To do them; quite a
number have more or less old corn; the
crop of oats Il excellent In quality, and
more than half WELD In the number of
bushels. When wheat Was .osn, there
as large yield. One piece that l
know yielded ~ bushels To the acre.
Rye also wss fair, aud along the bot
toms Of the streams were many fields of
that most excellent c.rcal. Much MIL
l.t va. sOwn. and should rain come
this week. there will D. many stacks of
that grass.
In ccrtain respects the drought will be-
q blessing. No, the least Will BE- the
lesson II diversified farming. How
helpless that farmer feels Who has all
hi. land Ia corn Had he only sown
oats aud wheat and rye. fed once to
All NV livestock wheat, and they throye
well upon Il. The farmer Who has hsr-
vested these CEREALS can he said Ia b. In
clover. II l. not In the west as In the
east, and this explains so much corn. In
the east there I. a good market Tor all
sorts % produce NJ your very doors, but
here Ne must pot everything, almost, In
Ia compact SHAPE for transportation,
and this l. generally into cattle and
hogs. These ar. the products Of our
corn fields. II l. Ia - hoped that this
drought will bring down the transporta-
tlOn rates. II has always cost too much
"a take cur grain o. chicago. lndirect-
Ia the railroads ar, to blame for any
distress wrought by the drought, since,
had the rates becn less, there would have
heeu FAR morc diversity Ia farming; Tor
then grain could have been raised With
out such sacrihccs.
The drought Also shows the folly of
shallow wells and ponds. Hitherto men
have generally left digging when they
rrachel vein ot water. Nov they Ind
that they sho1ld have gone deeper so ss
have a capacity for large How. The
veil digger I. In great demand now.
New wells ar, being pot down on every
hand, and "a q considerable depth. Old
wells are being deepencd, aud my opin-
ion 4. that the next drought ~ill hnd us
far better prepared 90 Withstand It's raw
sges. The farmers have becn content Ia
put az With equally shallow ponds. In
many cases they we're spread cut over
considerable spacv. and being shallow
the sun aud dfy winds presently sucked
them up. Ia an l~-milc risie the other
day saw many ponds, but there Was
not a drop of water In any one 81 them.
- Il l. that scoops aud plows are busy
si work dcepenlng Poads also, ani In
thi. direction the country Will be Tar
better of than ever before.
The wood. manifest the dire effects oil
Lack II moisture In . remarkable man
ner. I saw the other DAY half acre OF
Young hickorie. a. dead ss stone, all
psrished for Lack of water. The sofi
mapI. groves are dying. many trees
have entirely succumbei sirvady. Asa
rule. ho~.y,r. the maple. In IN. groves
are planted too near together. la lev
wears they trim themselves, and then
they look Ike a lot Of bare poles and ARE
Of little value for shade. Certain .pccies
~ oak seem 10 De les hardy than o,her..
The black oak and the Jack oak have
many Of thsm p.rish.d for lack of rain
While the burr oak withsisnds the
drought, and Ia many localities promises
quite a crop Of mast.
The weeds. also, are suffering. The
plAlntaln wilt. early, aud has largcl,
forgotten to 20 90 seed. What con-
fort, Along the roadside the partridge
10, /. very short, though full ~ bloom
.pd very pretty. The blue yeryain u
dxaffrd badly, aud so are the early
asisrs aud the different spec'e- of the
.unrower family. The compass plant,
however, l. more beautiful TINS year
than ever saw II hsfOrc-nOt so rank,
aud much more fioriferous. The golden
rod l. much dwaried, but a. yellow u
not nor, so than ever.
Fruit shows the effects of the drought
Here everything !. dwsrfcd, or has fsiI'
"a to reach maturity. The apples were
arrested when half grown. The pluins
ar. simply berries. "a for the berries
themselves, they are miserably small
aud worthless. never -s~ so fe~ of
these things exposed for sale. \ few
melons may b. found al the groceries,
but they are small aud lnsipld. What
have tasted I sbould not regard a.
healthful. II would seem Ia me that
fruit premAiurely ripened would not bs
conducive 10 health. tabbagc- and To-
m.to.. Ar. nov offered for sale. \ man,
howeyrr, need. the income of mine Ia
Indulge daily Ia such luxurie-. What
.ort of a table the laboring man spreads
l. An enigma % me. one thing only ls
In al. favor. fOur. This article Is
cheaper than ever before. tis deSouiiy
to BE- hoped that it, cheapoess may oon-
tinue.
The fact h. men must BE- generous and
| liberal one With another. such extra
ordinary time. should make cxtraordi-
narily sympathetic hearts. Men Who
have hired land for cash will, many of
them D. ruined, II all the price IL exact
ed. II would bs iuhuman to demand the
.uttermo.t fArthing." IL would b-
simple robbery. Nothing but the law
preyeuts man like ths, from follo~ing
robh-ry as a profession. My idea u that
renting on the shares y the most epui-
table way. will not reut In other wsys.
have two families on my fsrm anu
that l. the way they rent of me. " they
prosper. I prosper, and i share the,r
failures. Thus far have done AZ Well,
u not b-tter than those who rent Tor
cash, aud the place !. better kept. re-