The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-09-21
THE TRUCK FARMS
HAVE BEEN LITTLE DAMAGED
By CONTINUED RAINS.
CROPS ARE PLANTED ON BEDS
AND WATER Is THUS SHUT OFF
FROM DOING SERIOUS DAMAGE.

The Irish Potato Crop May Have
suffered from the Rains. Though
This Damage Will Be SIight-The
Cotton Loss Will Average Only
About Three or Four BOIls to the
StaIk-Sugar Cane Will Probably
Re BENEFITED Rather Than Injured.
Apparently little damage was done
to the truck farms near Savannah by
the continued rains of last week. In
some of the low lying farms there was
more or less Washington experienced,
but this has been very slight and no
serious loss win be felt.
The truck farmers of this section
expect rains at this season of the year
and accordingly make the necessary
preparations, setting out most of their
plants in beds. Mr.. NJ. L. Exley, one
of the largest and most prominent
truck farmers of this section, was ask
ed yesterday concerning the damage
done, and spoke very optimistically Of
the outlook.
Il have been very busy" he said,
"and have had little opportunity of
moving around and visiting the other
farms, but judging from my own, l
do not believe that there has been any
serious loss experienced in that line.
of course, there were some washouts
as a result of the continued rains,
but l do not think that these have
been very many, especially in this Sec
ton of the state.
THE truck farmers here are accus-
toned to having rain at about this
season of the year, and from expect
ing it, they are prepared to meet 1t.
In the case of those who own farms
lying rather low, provision against
damage is made by setting out the
vegetables in beds. In such cases the
rain does no damage, the beds simply
shedding ii away from the plants.
Bad for Irish Potato Crop.
THE rains were rather bad on the
Irish potato crop" said Mr.. EXley,
land if there has been any serious
damage done / expect that it has been
among this product. On my farm i
had a large setting out of this Vege-
table and l find that the rain has
washed down around them, and 1t may
turn out that they have been more
or less injured. However, l do not
believe, from the results of my inves-
LEGATIONS thus far, that there has been
anything really serious resulting.
las to the sugar cane yield, that
has not been injured. When the stalks
become thoroughly wet around the
base they become pliable and if heavy
winds follow the rains the stalks are
bent ana twisted entirely out of shape
This, however, does not injure the
81 he re aft a
ing to make N hard to handle.
Cotton NOf~seriously Damaged.
When asked if the rain had damaged
the cotton plants Mr.. Exley said: y
do not believe that il has done so tC
any serious extent / went through
my own cotton field pretty carefully
after the cessation of the rain and fine
that the evidences of damage are very
slight. Chatham county cotton is late
cotton and thus far on most of thu
farms the only open bolls are the ones
at the bottom of the stalks, the uppel
ones not yet having opened. l finC
that these lower bolls have been pretty
well washed out by the rains and thu
loss will be, on the average. between
three and four bolls to the stalk. This
you see. win be a comparatively small
percentage when you take into consid
Grafton the number of hollis higher VI
the stalk which are yet to open.
"As to the excessive rains retardini
the opening of the bolls, l cannot say
That is a matter which time will tell
The tendency of continued wet wealth
err is to retard their opening, but | d.
not believe that the rains of last weel
will have any bad effects in this line
at least not TO any very great extent
! think that IL the sun shines hot 70
a few weeks that the bolls will opel
as usual and the yield be none tn
worse for the rains"
Outlying Farms Little Damaged.
A gentleman who has been travelin
among the farmers during the last fa'
days 81 last week stated 20 "A repre-
sentative OF the Morning News tha
be did not believe that there had bee
any serious damage done by the storm
~ the farms throughout the stat
with he exception Of those that ha