The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-06-10
DAMAGE TO FIELDS
Loss in Wheat Has Not Been
Large.
Farmers in Valley the Greatest
Sufferers.
WERE UNDER WATER.
In These Places the Wheat Crop
is Ruined.
Already at Work RepIanting
Their Corn.

Solomon, Kan. June lo.-An investi-
cation Of the wheat fields in central
Kansas shows that as a whole little dam
age has been done by the foods. 1t is
true that many fields have been totally
destroyed by water, but they form a
very small part of the total acreage.
The upland wheat and that which lies
ON rolling ground is. as q rule. looking
extremely we'll There are occasional
fields which. for some local cause. are
not up to the average but they are eX-
ceptional
Even the fields which were covered by
water but where the water did not
comes out hot on such fields they viii
show no damage from the flood. 1t is
alleged by some that when the sun
comes out hot on such heldds they Will
bake and the wheat viii fall but this
had not been the case on Monday But
wherever the water covered the heads
of the grain it has turned yellow.
The loss falls heavily on individual
wheat owners along the river bottoms.
who had their land overlooked. Two
weeks ago some Of these farmers in sa-
aiue Dickinson and other wheat eoun-
aies which suffered from the flood, had
ZIG --AA-o- MIMI NA RI llAOcJCNL LNL a GlOD-
Now some OF the same ones Will not
harvest a bushel
Apparently a very small corn acreage
in the hood-stricken districts is UNI
harmed. There is d tremendous amount
of corn, of course, which was untouched
by the flood but the greater part OF
that which was i'm the flooded sections
VIII have TO be replanted- This is true
" neither 1t was submerged or not. Th-
exceptions are where the fields We're
planted with a check-rOWer and NOT
with q lister In listed fields that are
nat the heavy rains washed the dirt
down into the burrows. covering the
corn SO deep that it cannot get
through. Where the fields have a gem
lie slope the water ran down the fur
rows in such currents as to wash the
corn an out of the ground
In the corn fields where a good stand
IS lett the weeds are so vigorous thar
IN some cases no attempt is made to
save The CROP
Already wherever the ground is drv
enough the farmers are back-listinc
their fields. This covers up all wee is
and replants the corn at the same ti711a
anu caves the ground in good condi-
ION Inc FARMERS say they have known
Dig crops of corn raised from feld..
pldntea as late as the middle of Jun-
SO they are not worrying greatly over
1snlns cut Of the corn zelda.
o-Lef tnan the extra labor that in
makes them. A man with good team
can Inst eight acres a day. so that tbe~,,
Mli stll be good acreage nut ia If
e..S laila stays dry enough for the farm,
by no means the smallest loss i'm FIX
1000 -stilcken sections has been thar Of
aIIaita fields In many fields where the
1,,-rss i,i Hsieo lne alfaifa the plant has
tulneQ black and it is dead As il -e-
cures Two years to get a vieoro,fa
stand Of elfalfa. it can he seeT 49,
,When field is killed it is serious
The greatest wheat loss was aro,,,,,,
sauna. solomon and Abilene in SALINE
ana Dickinson counties Tn the GvnsIl,,,
creek valley i'm eastern Saline county,
~ NateI was nearly two miles widL
anu swept over some of the fields from,
-FOUR TO seven feet deep. This eraaf
mass OF water could not find an ol1flst
N the bed of the Smoky Hill into which
gypsum creek h-ws, so it swept down
the wide fertile valley on the s011tb side
OF the river. A day or two later ia
solomon river rose. This flows into the
smoky f com the north but its current
swept across the Smoky to the soIfh
side repeating the Gypsum creek fond
FOR this reason the damage in the solIto
side of the Smoky Hill is worse than on
the north side
Gentry's dog and pony show was
etranued in the town of Solomon and
% oia not take long to exhaust the sup
ply or provisions there. When the flood
nrst came up w. T. Harris. who rem
resented Dickinson county in the las
legislature, and some of the merchants
OF solomon built a number Of large
boats IN which supplies were taken to
The farmers south of the river When
the stock of provisions ran low Joe
gladden.. The veteran engineer on the
solomon. took his engine and a single
car. and went through the water to
Abilene, nine miles east, and secured "a
new stock of provisions.
Fred Roggendorf. who lives Just
southwest Of solomon. had about 14O
mead of fat cattle in his feed lots when
the flood came. The water swept the
entire herd into the current of the river
AR. Roggendorf rescued about twenty
but the rest were drowned
The families of Fred and Bert Ram
Sey, living two and a half miles south
east OF solomon. narrowly escaped with
their lives When the water came into
their houses they took refuge in a barn
lott which was higher than the houses.
They were without provisions for over a
oay Finally neighbor got to them bv
swimming his horse over half a mile.
Two of the men then got out with the
aid of the horse and raft was built
on which the balaSle We're brought to
a place of safety.
F. n. Collins had 200 acres of fine
wheat, from seed imported from RUS
STA two years ago Mr.. Collins secured
ten bushels at the time of the importa-
tion and this yielded him 200 bushels Of
seed. which he sowed last fan He has
about three acres left of the 200 which
this seeded Mr. Collins also had about
100 acres of corn washed out but he is
already prepared to list all he can
again.
These are only Individual instances
OF the condition Of many farmers in