The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1895-05-01
Only Half Of a Crop.
The Cotton Which has Been
Planted in this State.

Planted in this State.
The following weekly bulletin o.
the condition of the weather and the
crops throughout the State during the
past week, will be read by all classes
with the greatest degree of interest
The report which was issued by
Director j. w. Bauer yesterday,
shows that up to date only half Of a
cotton crop has been planted:
COLUMBIA, S. c., April %, '95.
The week was not entirely a favor
able one for growing crops, or farm
ing operations. 1t was too cool to be
good growing weather, the minimum
temperature having fallen below the
active growing temperature on four
nights of the week over a large por-
ton of the State. In the western,
northern and northeastern counties
field work was interrupted by rain
for several days, as the ground was
too wet for cultivation, and some bot
tom lands already planted were food
ed. The latter part of the week was
more favorable Wind following the
heavy rains, baked and crusted the
ground, making it hard for sprouted
seed to come up.
The first portion of the week too,
and including Friday, was much cold
er than normal, the daily departure
averaged 8 degrees below for Eve
days; during the last two days the
temperature was slightly in excess of
the normal. Early in the week the
nights were quite cold with threaten
ed frosts, but other conditions were
not favorable for frost formation until
the 10Th, by which time it had be.
come somewhat warmer, yet on that
morning places reported a light frost
and some a heavy one, with no ap-
parent damage resulting. The high
est temperature reported during the
week was 81 degrees recorded at
Cheraw on the 2l>t; the lowest 81 at
Greenviile on the 10th The weekly
mean for the State was about 60 de-
grees, while the normal for the same
dates is approximately 642 degrees
There was rain on the first two
DAYS of the week which was quite
general over the State. but varied
largely in amount in different locali-
ties, being heaviest in the northern
and central counties where the rain
fall amounted to from l.25 to 2.75
inches; in the southern and south
eastern counties the rainfall ranged
from 0 so to | 80 inches In places
the storm was accompanied by heavy
hail and high winds. There was a
severe tornado in Newberry that did
considerable damage to buildings and
trees. but crops were not far enough
advanced to be injured. Where the
rains were heaviest it did much dam
age by washing newly plowed hill
sides; bottom lands were also render
dered too wet for cultivation.
After the first two days, the sky
was practically clondless the rest of
the week, giving somewhat more
than all average o%fsuushine.
Cotton plantipg has been active.
" pushed over the entire State as
the weather permitted, but as yet
scarcely more than half of the crop
has been put in the ground, consider
Ing the entire State. In the eastern
portion i: is nearly completed, while
Just fairly begun in the western pot
ton. termination slow owing TO
cool weather. Some planted in
March not yet up The general
opinion seems to be that there will
be less planted this year than last
year,
Corn planting is nearly completed
on the uplands and the stand Of that
that is up is good IN places, fairly
good generally, and not poor any
where. Some r~eplanting necessary
owing to washed lands. birds, and
possibly poor seed used. Birds are
very troublesome in Orangeburg
county. The weather has been too
cool for this crop, which is fully two
weeks late. termination has been
slow.
Grains are improving very much.
Wheat is doing very well and prom
ises to be better than thought at the
first of the season. Spring oats look
very promising; their condition
seems to be uniform throughout the
State. Fall sown oats are a com
plete failure
Sugar cane is being planted very