The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1897-04-14
CROPS OF THE STATE.
RAINFALL GENERAL AND HEAVY-ALl.
FARM WORK BEHIND.


cauy Nothing Has Been Done Tow,.rds
PlautIng-UplandsB Being Too Wet Even.
4 General Review.
COLUMBIA, Aprii7.-Direcsor 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 es.imat-
ed from ten to twenty days later than
usual. It is due mainly to the exces-
sive rains of February, followed by
continued cloudy and rainy weather
during March, with light winds, ex-
cept for few days during the third
decade OF March, when clear, cool and
windy weather prevailed. This in
turn was folio we'd by rains which sus-
pended plowing and planting up to
date.
The temperature during the week
covered by this bulletin averaged
slightly cooler than usual, with mini
mum temperature below freezing as
IA. eastward as Berkeley, where thin
ice was noted on the morning of
March %. Frost was general on that
date, killing in exposed places, but
owing to ths back Hardness 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 q minimum of IS de-
gress at Greenville and maximum
of79 degrees at Saa VS. Forks.
The rainfall was general over the
; State and WAS heaviest over the wes.
tern counties, where itaveragsd near
ly one and a half inches, while for the
entire State the average was 1.33
inches. The creates! amount for the
week was 275 inches at Hillsville, and
the least 0.36 at Barksjale. The nor
nal for the same period is approx
mately 0,75 inch.
Tne week was deficient in sunshine.
II places there was practically none,
9 percent. of the possible being report.
| ed from EInore, Orangeburg County;
the largest percentage was reported
from ForrestVille, FIorence County,
with 50 per cent. The average for the
entire State was about 80 per cent. of
the possible; the normal sunshine at
this season OF the year being about IS
per cent. -
CROPS.
AS previously stated, aud for the
reasons given, farm work is very much
behind hand in South Carolina, ex-
icsptia Horry, Marion aud Marlboro
Couoties, where the conditions have
been more favorable and planting is
more advanced. In the northern 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 few days in the latter part of
March, after which mora rain again
made ploWing impracticable. It is in
those Counties that toe season is most
backward.
Bat little can as yet be said in detail
as to crops, for planting has not yet
fairly begun, except that in the north
eastern Counties corn planting is
nearing completion and the stand fair
where 1t has come up. In other Sec
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 western coun.
ties very little or none has been plant.
ed and very little of the lands pra-
pared.
Wheat aud oats are looking promis-
ing over the entire State. Few spring
oats have been soWn, as the ground
was too wet. In many sections CORE
spondents report the intention of farm
ers to plant sorghum cane largely for
a feed crop to substitute for oats. Sor-
ghum cane seed reported scarce.
Rice lands have been too wet to pre-
pare for planting, and in some districts
nothing has been done as yet; in 9TH
ers about half the lands are prepared.
Gardens are 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 since Janurry.
Fruit generally looks promising,
except that it is greatly feared that
peaches were materially damaged by
the frost 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 GreenvilIe Counties it is the un-
qualified opinion of all correspondents
that peaches were about all killed.
Elsewhere the extent of injury is as
yet uncertain.
Fruit, other than peaches and plu2us,
is apparently safe.
The following extract from the Ma.
tional Bulletin for the month OF March
summaries the extent of planting for
the two principal crops Of the South:
Some corn has been planted as far
north as Tennessee, and the southern
portion of Missouri and Kansas, plant
ing in Texas and louisiana being
about completed, and in Alabama,
Mississippi and Texas the early plant.
ed is up"
Cotton planting in Texas has pro.
gressed fayorabIy, and some has been
planted in South Carolina. but in 9TH
er States of the cotton belt practically
no planting has been done up to the