The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-05-25
FARM AND GARDEN NOTES.
Some Facts About the Weather-Po-
tatO Blight and Flea Beetles.

tatO Blight and Flea Beetles,
over a very large area of our country
there has been a marked deficiency in the
rainfall since the last of March A drought
has prevailed over a large part of the
country from the Ohio river to the Gulf
Of Mexico, and far out into our western
confines. During the past ten days rain
has fallen here and there in various To-
caltties; in some instances, as in Texas
coming down in a regular deluge and at
tended with destructive wind, causing loss
OF HE and property to distressing ex-
Here in Georgia the drought was still I'M
broken IN many localities on May 1S
thought local thunderstorms had occurred
IN Favored sections during the week end
ing May IS. From all accounts these
thunderstorms were very partial and cir
cumscr-b bed TO very limited areas
A very common greeting among farmers
and others, Did you ever see such a
droughty spring. l am afraid we will have
to start all over again when il does rain"
Unless record is kept of the weather
one is very apt to forget what conditions
OF weather really had prevailed in pre-
drought or freshet actually ruined any
particular crop the fact is like
~ to be imprinted upon the memory, but
If no serious damage is wrought the recol-
LECTION OF past weather is quite vague.
But two short years ago we had a dry
spring that greatly interfered with farm
operations, and for a while the outlook
was threa tening and somewhat discour-
aging. Some of our readers will doubtless
recall how serious the aspect was for a
week or so in 1894 With February and
March nominally SeasOnabIe with a total
rainfall of ten inches for the two months
the drought began the last day of March.
In April there was no rain at all. May
gave US a shower of 45-1O0 inches, on the
18th, and then for another month there
was no more rain. On the 18th of Sune
the drought was broken by a rain of $500
inches, which was followed in the next
ten or twelve days by 3 inches, well dis
tributed, in four or five showers that
was entirely absorbed by the soil How
the belated crops did grow! All that had
been property and persistently worked
began a growth on the 18th of June that
was almost magical, and by the middle
of July gave little or no indication of their
are effected by dry weather that cannot
be wrought when the soil is steadily wet
or damp. Mineral elements are rendered
soluble and nitrates are formed during
the time. SO that when the delayed rain
does come every root and rootlet will
have ready to hand these indispensa bic
elements just in condition for absorption,
and the result is a most rapid develop
March, April and May, 1895. had their
full supply of rain, more than normal,
in fact, nearly Is inches in all, and you
know what the result was. Fortunately
September and October were dry
This spring, after a shower of 71-100
inches, on April l, there was no further
rain until May AS, when the aggregate
of two splendid showers showed a down,
pour of PIG inches. In our own locality
up TO May 10 there has been no further
rain. Crops on naturally dry land, and
to suffer for the lack of moisture, but
neither corn nor cotton that had been
properly worked had suffered no serious
For the first time in a long experience
in potato growing have we been threat
ened with loss of part Of our crop from