The Colfax gazette. [volume] (Colfax, Wash.) 1893-1932, 1901-07-19
KANSAS CROPS BURNED Up.
clustering Sun ShriVeIs Everything
Except Made Wheat.

Kansas City, July 12.-No rain fell to-
day in any part Of the drOuth stricken
district, consisting of all of Kansas,
western Missouri, Oklahoma and Indian
Territory. Over much of this region
this was the worst day of the long hot
spell, the temperature being more than
100 degrees and no breeze stirring. Corn.
oats, hay and potatoes are so badly in
Iured that even with rain the yield would
be short. AT some places in Kansas
| there has been no rainfall whatever for
nearly three months. The present is the
worst drOuth since 1860, when New
England sent food to the settlers of
Kansas. However, the past few years
have been prosperous ones. and even
| now the Kansas farmers are harvesting
one OF the largest crops of wheat in the
history OF the state.
A great many counties send word that
with rain corn will be hall crop; with
out rain soon, no yield A few say
there is yet hope for fair harvest.
Hay sold this morning for $50 ton,
the highest price ever reached in this
market. Receipts were small, and most
OF the hay which came in was sold some
time in the country before the drOuth
became so serious. Hay is SO high here
that it can be shipped in from Minnesota
or Ohio, or almost any state in the
country that has a crop. Kansas and
Missouri, which usually furnish as much
hay as any three eastern states, and at
this time of year are usually shipping
trainlOads of hay to other points, are
buying hay this year. In numerous
places there is no pasturage and owners
of cattle are shipping hay to their farms
Alfalfa has yielded we'll everywhere, and
will be the salvation of many farmers.
Corn Almost a Failure.
For the past five days 10000 hogs
have been received at the stock wards.
breaking all records. These heavy ship
ments are due to the scarcity OF corn.
careful perusal OF crop reports from
all parts of Kansas indicate that the
state will not raise more than 5O,OOO,-
600 bushels of corn this year. The crop
will thus be less than third of last
years yield and less than half of 1899
The fact that there has been no good
rain for three months has retarded the
late corn.
Opinions differ as to the extent of
damage to corn. Secretary Coburn. of
that the crop is practically failure.
While corn has failed, alfalfa has given
an abundant yield.
Wheat Stacks Burned.
Wheat is nearly all in the stack. As
many as 10000 acres OF wheat in the
stack have been burned during the last
two weeks. The fires start from the
slightest causes, so intensely dry is
everything, and when they are once
started there is no water on hand with
which to fight them.
Trees are showing the effects of the
drouth. Leaves are falling like late in
the summer. Half grown fruit is dying
and dropping from the trees. Kansas
is stricken with drouth worse than any
since 1860. Queerly enough, the usual
order OF things has been reversed this
time, and the western part Of the state
Is in much more favorable condition
that the hitherto favored eastern part.
Nebraska, ITO.
Omaha, July 12-The heat today was
intense. The thermometer reached 1O4
and ranged from 100 to 1O7 through
out the state. The street thermometers
IN this city we're as high as 10 during
NHS ooJ' hdiuiy q OIodUu vi air bJlTIeu
during the day.
Des MOines Broke a Record.
Des MOinps, Iowa, July II ALL heat
records for % years kept by the govern
ment weather bureau of this city we're
broken this afternoon at 2:30. when the
thermometer registered 1O1 above. In
dications point that at 3 O'Clock it will
be higher.
Two people died from heat at Leaven-
worth, Kansas, Thermometers register
ing 100 at 1870 at night.
In parts of Missouri and western Hi
nois, where the crops are being literally
burned by temperature that during the
past two days ranged as high as 10 in
the shade, records for 10 years have
been broken.
At Cincinnati, Chicago and other
points intermediate cooling breeze ran
the temperature down to 10, giving
temporary relief.