The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-04-14
CROPS OF THE STATE.
RAINFALL GENERAL AND HEAVY-ALk
FARM WORK BEHIND.

| In tho Northern Tier Of Counties Practt-
cany Nothing Has Been Done Towards
Planting Uplands Being Too Wet Even.
A General Review.
COLUMBIA, April 7.-Director Bauer
resumes today his weekly summary Of
reports of the weather and crops in
the State. In view of the recent long
continued rains, the first report will
be extremely interesting to business
men in the towns and cities as well as
the farmers OF the State:
| WEATHER.
The general weather conditions dur.
ing the present crop season were un-
favorable for the preparation of lands
for planting and in consequence the
season is late, being variously estimat-
ed from ten to twenty days Later than
usual. 1t is due manly to the exces-
sive rains of February, followed by
continued cloudy and rainy weather
during March, with light winds, ex.
cept for a few days during the third
decade OF March, when clear, cool and
windy weather prevailed. This in
turn was followed by rains which sus-
pended plowing and planting up to
data.
The temperature during the week
covered by this bulletin averaged
slightly cooler than usual, with mini.
mum temperature below freezing as
far..eastward as Berkeley, where thin
ics YVES noted on the morning of
March %. Frost was general on that
date, killing in exposed places, but
owing to the backwardness Of the sea-
son, injury was limited, being con.
fined to corn, where up, and to fruit,
which was materially damaged in
York, Spartanburg and the northwes-
tern counties generally. Peaches suf-
fered most.
During the week the temperature
ranged between minimum of % de-
grees at Greenville and q maximum
OF 79 degrees at Shaw's Forks.
The rainfall was general over the
State and was heaviest over the wes-
tern counties, where it itaverage1 near
ly one and a half inches, while for the
entire State the average was 1.33
inches. The greatest amount for the
week was 2 rs inches at Hillsville, and
the least 0.36 at Barksdale. The nor.
NAL for the same period is approxi-
mstsly 0.75 inch.
The week was deficient in sunshine.
10 places there was practically none,
rsrcsnt. of the possible being report.
ed from Elmore, Orangeburg County;
the largest percentage was reported
from Forrestville, Florence County,
with 52 psr cent. The average for the
entire State was about 80 per cent. of
the possible; the normal sunshine ct
this season of the year being about 66
per cent.
! As previously stated, and for the
reasons given, farm work is very much
behind hand in South Carolina, ex-
capt in Horny, Marion and Marlboro
Counties, where the conditions have
baen mora favorable and planting is
more advanced. In the northsrn tier
of Counties from Chesterfield west
ward, practically nothing has been
done towards planting, for even the
uplands were too wet to prepare except
for a few days in the latter part Of
March, after which more rain again
made plowing impracticable. It is in
those COUNTIES that the season is most
backward. .
But little can as yet be said in detail
as to crops, for planting has not yet
fairly bsgun, except that in the north
eastern Counties corn planting is
nearing completion and the stand fair
where it has come up. In other ssc-
tons of the State some few farmers
have planted corn, but the work is not
yet general. In Dorchester, Berkeley
and Colleton some seed is rotting in
the ground and replanting will be ne
cessary. In the extreme eastern coun-
ties cotton planting has fairly begun,
but in the central and westsrn coun.
ties very little or none has baen plant.
ed and very little of the lands pre-
pared.
Wheat and oats are looking promis.
ing over the entire State. Few spring
oats have been sown, as the ground
was tco wet. In many sections corre-
spondents report the intention Of farm
ers to plant sorghum. cane largely for
feed crop to substitute for oats. Sor.
ghum cane seed reported scarce.
Rice lands have been too wet to pre-
para for planting, and in some districts
nothing has bssn done as yet; in 9th.
ers about half the lands are prepared.
Gardens ara very backward, for the
general reasons already assigned, and
on account of cool weather lately. In
the truck farm districts the season is
an early one; there having been no
setback from frost sincs Janurry.
Fruit generally looks promising,
except that it is greatly feared that
peaches were materially damaged by
the frest and freeze of March % as far
eastward as Orangeburg and Colleton
Counties. As is usually the case the
frost was more severe IN some places
than in others. In York, Spartanburg
and Greenville Counties it is the un-
qualified opinion of all correspondents
that peaches were about ali Billed.
Elsewhere the extent of injury is as
yet uncertain.
Fruit, other than peaches and plums,
is apparently safe.
The following extract from the Ma
tional Bulletin for the month of March
summarizes the extsnt of planting for
the two principal crops of the South:
Some corn has bsen planted as far
north as Tennessee, and the southern