The Savannah morning news., 1904-11-20
CROP UNHURT
BY DRY SPELLS
WITH EXCEPTION OF JULY
ALL MONTHS OF YEAR SHOW DEFI-
CHENEY OF RAINFALL.

Record of the Months Since First of
April, the Beginning of the Crop
Season-Heavy Rains of July Fen
Practically in "a HOurs-NO Truth
in Theory That n Dry Season is Al
ways Followed by "A Wet one.
The crop season has practically closed
for the year and farmers are now look
ing over the season. AS far as can be
learned the unanimous opinion is that
it has been a success.
This is true despite the fact that it
has been a dry season." A glance
at the Weather Bureau records shows
that with the exception of the month
of July every month has had a large
deficiency of rainfall. This has. of
course been counteracted somewhat
by the fact there has been a slight
falling off in temperature. averaging
for the year about one degree per
dag.
The crop season began practically on
April 1. The rain records show that
April closed with deficiency of 3.12
inches. May did little better, clos
ing with a falling off from the normal
of only /. 90 inches. June went to the
bad again, and there were 2.57 inches
less rain than the average June called
for.
July reversed the record of the pre-
vious months. and nearly evened up
things. When the month closed it
was found there was an excess of rain
to the extent of 1888 inches. The bulk
of this fell during twenty-four hours,
flooding streets, breaking trolley con-
nections. and causing washouts In
many of the unpaved districts of the
city.
August got back into the old rut
and closed with a deficiency of 1.2S
inches. September did a little worse,
and there were 1926 inches less than
there should have been. October made
even a worse record than that. Dur
ing that month but .2S OF an inch of
rain fell, making a monthly deficiency
of 3.29 inches.
ExpIOdes Old Theory.
Truck farmers, in many localities,
have stated that the dry season this
wear means a wet season next year.
The weather man says this is a popu-
lar belief that has little or no founda-
ton in fact. A consultation of the
records seems to establish the correct
ness of the statement of the weather
man and to explode the common be-
lief that the seasons alternate.
For a time wet seasons follow each
other with dreary monotony. Then
there is a succession of dry seasons.
Then all ratio will be lost and there
will be an indiscriminate tumble of
wet and dry seasons in Irregular sue
cession. 1t is stated that this belief
in the succession of wet and dry sea-
sons is so widespread that special eff
forts have been put on it by the train
ed observers, but that nothing can be
found to justify it.
Crops Not Injured.
AS stated in the beginning of this
article, there are no crops that have
been reported damaged. Farmers re-
port, though there is, of course, the
general feeling that they would have
done better If they had had more rain.
This, however, is solely a matter of
theory.
The most serious stage was during
October. A continued dry spell in that
month threatened to wither all the
crops that were then in the ground
Owing to the fact, however, that it was
ideal cotton weather. complaints were
few. The fact that there were few
crops, outside of cotton, that were in
the ground also lessened the effects.
At different intervals the Morning
News has carried reports of the truck
interests in all parts of the state. AS
a rule these have been of a nature to
prove that little injury, If any, has
been done. The crop bulletin, issued
by an experienced observer, also states
that there has been no loss on account
of the lack of rain, as compared with
former years.