Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-09-12

. RAIN WAS BENEFICIAL.
Pastures and Late Potatoes Helped by
the Rain.

Des Moines, Sept. 12.-The blessed
rains of the first four days of the week
have reached nearly all portions of
Iowa in time to produce good pastures
during the closing days of this month
and all of October. Des Moines lawns
are already green with the new growth
of grass which began with the coming
of the cooler weather. The rains will be
OF some help to the corn and potatoes,
and will be worth at least S1,0000O0 per
day during October, If they induce the
growth of pastures now anticipated,
and that daily worth will be extended
thru November If there is no freezing
weather during that monthsto kill the
grass. The farmers need heavy rains
to provide an ample supply of stock wa
ter for the winter, and the present pros
pect is that September will be one of the
heaviest rainfall months of the year.
The drouth conditions have disappeared
from the air, the soil is now we'll mois-
tened for the growth of vegetation, and
the fall gardens and pastures will give
additional cause for the Thanksgiving
ten weeks on ahead. This has not been
bad year for Iowa people, for they will
rave an abundance and more to spare to
feed the less fortunate people of the
earth than any other state will have.
The rainfall of Tuesday and Wednes-
day aggregated 1.22 inches, or more than
1t has rained at any one time in Des
Moines for several months. The last
time that an inch of rain fell here at one
time was on March 10, when LII inches
fell. Melted snow made .62 of this. On
March Q 1t rained &c. Des Moines has
been practically without rain since that
time. There have been showers. and in
some cases they amounted to nearly an
inch, but generally only a few hun
dredths. The drouth was not broken
until Wednesday morning. when the
rainfall for the night registered ia
inches. During the forenoon il rained .oS
of an inch, making total of Log contin-
uous rain. Together with what has
fallen already this month this makes a
total OF Ito inches This is within .02
of the total rainfall for the month of
July. Only .07 of an inch fell during the
month of August.
While the rain came too late to benefit
the crops to any extent. it served to set
Tie the dust and make the conditions
much more agreeable. Those afflicted
With hay fever will doubtless begin to
recover after this rain. as the first good
ram III the fall generally breaks up this
disease. The fall pastures will be con-
siderably benefited if frost holds Off long
enough and a few warm days follow.
me rain was slow and soaking one,
ara the ground was wet down consid-
cradle distance. 1t did great deal
more good than a heavy dash would
have done.
The earth is probably sufficiently
moistened to make fall blowing easy. In
some sections of the state the ground
has been so dry that 1t has been almost
impossible to pillow. and the farmers
have been compelled to devote their time
to other work when they desired to be-
gin blowing. This rain Will be a great
help along these lines in many sections.
Its value in dollars and cents will not be
as great as had it come month sooner.
but taken all in all. its results will be
extremely beneficial, in the opinion of
the crop and weather men.