The morning news., 1894-10-08
Lessons of the Drought.

Throughout large sections of the country
the year 1894 will be long remembered for
its excessive drought, says the Practical
Farmer 1t is difficult to estimate, even
approximately, the loss which the farmers
have sustained from this cause, but it is
enormous IN amount, and it falls heavily
upon many who are wondering how it can
ever be retrieved. But as surely as day
follows night prosperity succeeds adver-
sitY. AS long as man remains upon the
earth, seedtime and harvest will not per-
manently fail. An occasional set back is
not cause for disbursement. Still less
is it a cause for alarm. In fact, it is to be
expected. And, instead of being, as at the
lime it appears, a great disaster it may
prove to be "a blessing in disguise" Even
the drought, which during the summer
and the early part of the fall of the present
year has seen so extensive and so severe,
may teach valuable lessons for our future
guidance
The drought has shown to some farmers
a good deal more clearly than they ever
saw it before, the Importance of keeping
their land in a fertile state. Where the
other conditions have been equal or nearly
so, rich soils have suffered much less than
have those which were deficient in fertility.
In multitudes of instances the crops upon
the same farm showed marked differences,
which could only be explained by the fact
that some portions of the land were more
fertile than others. Had he known what
the season was to be- many farmer could
have obtained much larger crops by simply
putting upon considerably smaller area
the manure and fertilizer which he applied
to his land. In not a few instances pretty
heavy manuring made all the difference be-
tween fair crop and an utter failure.
Draining, too, has proved an efficient
means of preventing the evils of drought.
If the rainfall is insufficient it would seem
that any means for carrying a portion of it
from the land would be injurious instead of
beneficial. But upon land that is naturally
wet there falls, at times, even in dry sea-
son, more water than is needed for the i'm
mediate use of the plants. If no method
for the escape of this surplus water is
adopted vegetation is injured. Growth is
checked by an excess of water and life
itself may be destroyed. If, as is some
times the case, a wet spring is succeeded by
a very dry summer such land land suffers
severely. 1t is a somewhat common saying
that 1.-The wettest land in wet time is the
dryest land in a dry time" There are eX-
ceptions TO this rule, but 1T IS true that low,
undrained lands are often parched in time
of drought. And experience has proved
that by draining such ground great i'm
prOvCment is effected not only when the
heavy rains fall but also when drought
prevails The draining loosens the soil so
as to admit freer circulation of air; al
lows the roots Of the plants to penetrate
much further than they otherwise could
do, increases the capillary action of the
soil, and enables the plants to use to the
best possible advantage whatever quantity
of dew or rain may fall upon the ground.
Frequent but shallow cultivation also has
greatly mitigated the evils of drought,
This cultivation has not only kept the land
in condition to conserve moisture and to
favor, as far as possible, the growth of
plants, but it has also prevented great
waste of water by insuring the destruction
of weeds. Many persons think that weeds
are injurious only by increasing the labor
of harvesting crops and by robbing the
cultivated plants of food. 1t is true that
they do a great deal of damage in these di-
rections, but in season like that of 1894
they prove far more harmful By using
moisture which is needed by the crops
than they do in all other ways combined.
The farmer who prevents the growth of
weeds thereby works indirectly, but ettici- |
emily. to prevent The evils which come as a
result Of an insufficient quantity of water
in the soil.