The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1895-10-16
THE LAST OF THE SEASON.
THE FINAL WEATHER AND CROP
BULLETON FOR THE YEAR.


BULLEToN FOR THE YEAR.
Director Bauer Very Interestingly Sum-
marizes the Conditions Existing--The
Text of the Bulletin Issued Yesterday
The Outlook.
COLUMBIA, 8. c., Oct. 10.-The fol-
lowing weekly bulletin of the cendi.
ton of the weather and the crops of
the State was issued yesterday by Di-
rector Bauer of the State weather serv-
ice. Inasmuch as it is the last report
that will be issued this season. it will
be read with much more interest than
usual:
The week ending Monday, October
Z, was cooler than usual over the en-
tire State, the departure from the nor
NAL having been greatest on the first
three days when it ranged from to
10 degrees per day lower, after which
there was gradual rise to normal or
above on Sunday and Monday, 9Th
and 9TH. The temperature for the
week ranged between 80 and at Co.
lumbia on the 9TH and 80 at Green
vile on the 1st. - The mean tempera
ture for the week, deduced from 33
station reports, was 63.5, and the nor
NAL for the same period is approx
mately 6S.5.
There were frosts on the 1st, 2nd
and 3rd, reaching from the extreme
western portions Of the State into the
central and northeastern counties,
where, however, but little or no injury
resulted. In the western and extreme
northern counties the frost was heavy,
killing pea vines, sweet potato vines.
very late corn, and what cotton leaves
that remained green, but it was not
cold enough to injure cotton bolls.
There was an entire absence of rain
during the week, and the drought be-
came greatly intensified. Over the
whole State there has not been more
than at best trace of rain from the
9th to the 18th of September, and in
many places there has been no benef-
cial rain since the 23rd of August.
The effect of the drought has been to
cut short the pea crop, stop the growth
of cotton and cut off the top crop;
prevent late corn from filing proper
| "; to cut off the yield of sweet pota-
toes, estimated at from I to J.; to great
ly reduce. if not to make an entire
failure, of root crops in general; to re-
duce the yield of molasses from sorg-
um and sugar cane; to ruin fall gar
dens; to keep back the growth of win
ter vegetables on the coast truck
farms, and to prevent the sowing of
small grains. However, the long con-
tinued dry, sunny weather gave excel.
lent opportunity for making hay OF
all varieties and a very large fodder
crop was saved in the very best condi-
ton; for drying out and housing corn
for picking cotton, which made rapid
progress, and the lint has been saved
in beautiful condition; and for gen.
eral harvest work. :
There were showers over the west
ern and central, counties during the
1,afternoon of the 7th and early morn
ing of the 9Th (Tuesday) that will be
beneficial to turnips, etc., but likely
discolored open cotton to some extent.
The amounts that fell have not been
reported to this Office, but the rainfall
in places was heavy. ~
There was almost continuous clear
weather the whole week; on the 9TH
alone was the sky obscured by clouds
| in the western portion.
The condition of the various crops
remains practically unchanged at the
end of the week.
Rapid progress was made in picking
and harvesting cotton, SO that 1t Is
generally reported from the eastern
portions of the State that at least two.
thirds of the crop has been picked and
a large proportion of it marketed.
What remains in the fields, in that
section, is all open, and picking will
be finished in from two to three weeks,
if the weather remains favorable. In
the western portion of the State pick,
ing is less advanced, but even there
nearly the whole crop is open, and
picking and marketing is being
pushed. The prevailing satisfactory
price of cotton causing the farmers to
sell as fast as gathered. As picking
advances towards completion the
smallness of the crop becomes more
and more apparent.
There is little more to add to what
has been said of corn in previous bull
letins. Husking and housing has been
carried on to some extent, but the
weather has been such that corn did
not demand immediate attention
was, in fact, better conditioned in the
husk than it would have been in the
crib. The crop is large enough to sup
ply the needs of the State, with posi-
bly, surplus.
The entire season has favored the
harvesting of rice, and that work is
practically completed on the coast and
river plantations; upland rice filled
rapidly during September, and is rip,
ening very satisfactory.
Peas of late planting did not fill
well, and will be short crop. Early
peas yielded well.
Sweet potatoes and second crop OF
Irish potatoes are yielding very poorly
generally, although quite well in
places.
The growing season is now practi-
cally ended, and little change can oc-
cur in the condition of the different
crops not yet entirely gathered.
It is unnecessary to review the sea-
son as a whole, as a file of these bulle-