Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1901-08-06

The great drought in the corn belt IS
broken. Drenching rains, falling steadily
for hours Sunday and Sunday night, re-
deemed the parched fields and in large
section the grain from the whitening sun
and winds of the last forty days. 1he
clouds broke over the Southwestern
States early Sunday morning and the
rain came down in torrents in places and
in drizzling continuous showers in others.
Weather officials and crop experts were
agreed Monday that the dry spell is gone.
Continued rain was predicted for Mon
day and probably Tuesday throughout
the entire corn belt except in its extreme
western portion and Southern Indiana
and Southern Ohio.
The corn crop of Iowa is saved, and IN
other Western States, where the stalks
have been fired and hope abandoned for
a harvest, the rain has assured a big
crop of late feed This will mean Won
ders for the stock raisers and will check
the sale of stock materially.
The rain was general throughout Iowa,
Missouri, Nebraska and Kansas. Here
and there it was accompanied by thun-
derstorms, and in these spots the water
flooded the fields Elsewhere, undiSturb-
ed by heavy Winds it had time to soak
into the soil and be absorbed. Iowa was
the most fortunate. and throughout the
State an average of one inch of rain was
reported Sunday night. The corn, having
endured a briefer hot spell than in other
States and being later, has been revived
so far that crop experts say the farmers
will harvest fully 10 per cent of an aver
age crop. The rain, by close estimate,
was worth at least $G,000,000 to the pro-
ducers of the State.
Kansas Takes Hope.
In Kansas the stock raisers were most
benefited, for by reliable reports the corn
has suffered so much from the drought
that the crop mas been given up as prac-
tically a total loss. The farmers of the
western half of the State agree that the
Stalks had been fred for foot above the
ground and that al! Of yesterdays rain
and all that may come Cannot revive It,
But the rush for katir corn, tuEnip, BUCK
wheat and other Seeds has already Ee-
gun. This will be drilled in betweSp tie
rows, and insures a good trGp Of late
feed after the corn IS harvested
Pastures and range grass have taken
Ou Il lev SAOW III, anu tlIS w III, II 10 IA
pected, check the sale of cattle and hogs,
because of the certain prospects of a big
supply of feed Optimistic reports Mon
day announced that the State would raise
enough buckwheat for the world. The
rain was continuous for forty-eight hours,
and in the eastern half averaged two
inchgs. In the western half the corn
has been most damaged, and here, too,
the rainfall was less, although the dis
trict shared in the general drenching Of
the State.
In Missouri practically the same con-
ditions prevail. Six weeks of drought
have ruined the corn, but the stalks will
be saved for fodder, and the late crops
of feed should be as large as in Kansas.
Nebraska got from one-half to two
thirds inches, distributed fairly. In places
half a crop will probably be harvested,
but in some sections the ground is baked
and the stalks are fired. Especially in
the vicinity OF Beatrice the ground was so
hard that great pools of water are left
in the fields The wells and streams are
filing up rapidly.
Only the northern half of Illinois was
within Sundays rain belt. The great
| corn-grc wing section of the central south
ern and southern district remained dry,
but the temperature has moderated.
In Ohio the rain will reduce the loss
and insure quantities of late feed for
stock. Indiana also received encouraging
showers.