Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1903-06-16
The Drought.

No such serious drought at this time oi
year has occurred within the memory
of those engaged in farming as that which
now extends over the New England
states, and even beyond their borders
For period of six weeks or more nc
rain has fallen, except an occasiona
shower in certain sections, and all kinds
of vegetation are suffering beyond any
thing before known at this season of the
year. The principal loss is in the grass
crop, both in pasture and moving field
So severe is the drought that there is but
little feed in the best pastures, the
ground being as dry and parched as OF
ten occurs in August. In the moving
fields the condition is even worse. The
old fields that have not been plowed FOL
wears will in seasons in which there IL
plenty of rain yield light crop of lhay
but in seasons like the present will not
yield crop worth harvesting. Rain now
would help such fields but little, anC
thousands of acres in New England will
not be worth moving this season. Fields
that have been plowed, fertilized and
seeded within two or three years art
standing the drought better and will
yield fair crop of hay. Rain even now
would help the grass in such fields
While the drought is cutting the hay
crop in such fields from third to a half,
unless rain comes Immediately there is
reason to expect the crop from such fields
to be worth nearly as much If sold as
full crop would have been at the reduced
price of ordinary seasons.
1t is yet too early to predict the result
of the drought upon the corn crop, as IN
ordinary seasons corn will grow and ma
ture if planted by the fifth or sixth of
June. Much that was planted early may
need planting over, which will add to
the cost and probably give fair inferior
seed bed to that prepared earlier in the
season. 1t is not yet too late to plow
and prepare land for corn for the silo or
for growing millet. A farmer will make
no mistake in turning over few acres
of land where the grass crop is ruined,
and after applying few hundred pounds
of fertilizer to the acre plant fodder or
ensilage corn or SOW the land to mlllet
as soon as rain comes. In all probability
this cannot be very far in the future.
The early garden and berry crops are
suffering beyond revival and cannot es-
cape general failure. The apple crop
has not yet been seriously affected, but
cannot hold out much longer, for if much
longer continued the drought will cause
dropping of the fruit. On the whole we
regard the present drought as the most
serious calamity that has come to the
farmers of New England for many years.
With the excellent demand for all farm
and garden crops which the present
business conditions cause, and at better
prices than have been known for years,
il is a serious matter to have the volume
of farm crops reduced fifty per cent, as
will occur in many localities. 1t would
seem that no amount of rain now could
prevent the hay crop being cut nearly
this per cent from the abundant crop Oh
the last two years.
This drought cannot fail to enforce
the advantages of good over poor farm
ing so far as the hay crop is concerned.
The difference between two hundred
mounds and two tons of hay per acre as
can be found in the same field, the for
mer being upon land not plowed for years
and the latter upon newly seeded land
by its side, is an object lesson that teaches
the advantages of good farming more
forcibly in dry than in moist seasons.
The fertility in the soil not only pushes
the crop along in the absence of proper
amount of moisture, but prevents the
escape of moisture into the atmosphere
by the texture of the soil. The recently
cultivated soil contains more humuS,
which contains moisture, and the con-
dition of the soil prevents the passage
of the moisture in the subsoil to the
atmosphere through capillary attraction,
as is done in the soil in what are know
as old fields. Every argument upon the
subject is favorable to frequent ana
thorough cultivation of the soil, and es-
pecially is this true in seasons OF drought.
The only means at hand for carrying the
stock through next winter is, as we have
already said, through the corn and mil
let crops, which have become even IN
ordinary seasons about as important as
the hay crop, but in a season like the
present, their Importance is emphasized.
With good crops of these there Will De q
more encouraging prospect Tor the iarm-
ers than is at present assured.-Mirror
and Farmer.