Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-07-24
Suffering in Cities of the Missouri
Valley.
Loss OF HALF 4 BILLION DOLLARS
VIII Increase Advocates for
National Irrigation.
SHORTAGE IN THE CROPS
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

| Speclal correspondence OF The Evening Star.
| KANSAS CITY, Mo-, July %, 1901.
| The irrigation forces will come to Wash
ington next winter REINFORCED by public
sentiment in their favor far beyond their
| most sanguine expectation of three or four
| months ago. A conservative estimate of
| the damage done in the middle west by
the drouth, which still prevails, Is five hum
| dred million dollars. For weeks the wind
has blown steadily from off the arid plains
| across the corn fields of Oklahoma, Kan
| sas. Nebraska and other neighboring ter
| ritory merciless in it's persistency and
| whitening in it's furnace-like heat. 1t is
| realized that had a large proportion of the
arid west been under cultivation through
| irrigation that much of the evil conse-
| quence Of the present heated term would
be averted in country lying adjacent to
the arid and semi-arid belt.
Shortage I'm Crops.
| The estimate of five hundred million dol
| lars damage is one of direct loss from
| shortage in crops. Those who are most
| hopeful expect that half of the usual
amount of corn will result from this years
crop. Many be found however, who
| believe this to be a most optimistic view
| of the situation The damage to the corn
crop, however, and the direct damage to
| other crops is but one item in the terrible
the farmers of the west when the balance
! Is struck for the present season The
| most serious phase outside of the crop sit
uation is the predicament in which the
| stock feeder finds himself. With corn at
| almost prohibitive prices and the price of
| hay soaring up into the clouds the man
who has paid going prices for cattle with
| the idea of making a profit in feeding them
| for the market sees ruin ahead or at the
| very least a heavy loss. The result of this
Is already shown in phenomenal receipts
| IN the great live stock markets of the
| west Everyone is trying to get rid of his
| cattle. hogs, and sheep to the best pos
| sible advantage, knowing that there can
be no profit in feeding them at the inevi-
tabiy high prices which will prevail for
| grain and product.
The DrOuth-Stricken Area.
| The drouth-stricken area has its marked
limitations and many sections which have
been reported as suffering are so far in
very good condition. While it is true that
terrible heat prevailed and still prevails
in nearly all of the middle western states,
1t has come at time when such heat Is
| not necessarily destructive of vegetation.
As whole the state of Nebraska is as
yet all right The corn was late In start
| Ing to grow and the heated term has been
| broken by numerous showers Kansas
| especially eastern Kansas, has suffered
more than any other locality, though
southern Iowa, western Illinois, western
| Missouri and nearly all of the Indian ter
rltory and Oklahoma are in the same fix
| Northern Texas has as yet seen no cause
for alarm, except in the scarcity Of water
| for towns and residences. The corn has
| made its growth grain has already been
| harvested and cotton has not yet reached
| that stage when 1t Is seriously affected.
Cotton Is plant which will stand a very
| severe drouth AS rule the only danger
Is that extreme dryness makes it possible
| for heavy rains following the dry spell
to break the blossoms from the plant and
| rpd1r fha viz Of cfo t. to
| early yet to say whether the cotton crop
Is to be seriously damaged or not. Some
| of the cotton planters are entirely con-
WINGED that cotton is going to be low in
price this fall and that no decrease in
yield will result from present weather con-
| dtions. In fact, quite a number Of plant
| crop at cents, which is considerably be-
| low the present market quotations.
Water Scarce in City and Village
| Some Of the minor effects Of the drouth
| in the affected districts have been almost
| complete cessation Of shipments Of vege-
! tables and small fruits. Supplies OF this
character are very difficult to obtain in the
Missouri valley cities, whereas of an ordi-
nary year the markets are overstocked
with products Of the garden and orchard.
All streams are very low, wells are going
dry and nearly every city and village Is
confront ed with most serious problem In
the matter Of water supply for public and
private use.
Fortunately for the Kansas farmer his
wheat harvest was practically over before
the full effects Of the drouth were realized
and 1t Is to her wheat that Kansas looks
for large part Of her income The loss
of corn will be very serious however as
shown. in that it will suspend feeding OPP
erations, which have become very extensive
during the past few years.
In the Irrigated Valleys.
In wonderful contrast to the burnt, scared
| country lying to the east are the irrigated
valleys of eastern Colorado and western
Kansas. Water is used there largely for
| the purpose of growing alfalfa hay. No at
tention is paid to the vagaries of the sea-
sons, and year after year the hay farmer
harvests three four crops each season
from his irrigated land. This year the
crop is unusually large, and along the up
per Platte and Arkansas valleys hundreds
of stacks of alfalfa have been piled await
ing shipment to market. This hay is now
worth double it's ordinary price, and the
hay farmer, while not rejoicing at the mis-
fortunes of his neighbors, guards his prod
uct with jealous care, for it promises to
be worth its weight in money. Hay buy
ers are already securing the country en-
deavoring to contract for everything in
sight at somewhere near reasonable price,
for fear that when the hay famine ma
terializes, only the favored few will be able
to secure the necessary feed to supply the
trade.
While it is true that Kansas will suffer
a terrible financial loss from the present
weather conditions. the exceedingly pros
porous times of the past few years have
put the farmers in excellent shape to re-
sist any disastrous effect, and a good sea-
son next year will restore this section to
it's normal condition of unexampled PROS
perity.
No Such Weather Since 1860.
1t is fortunate that the Kensas farmers
have accumulated stock Of resisting
power, for no such weather has been ex-
perienced in their state since 1850. That |
year still lives in the history of Kansas
as the most dreadful visitation of dryness