The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-03-04

Ing and found continuance or the snow and more falling. We travelled all day Saturday through snow, sleet and rain, reaching Ft. Worth at 5 p. m. The snow over north and central Texas ranges from two to eight inches deep. Here at Vernon there is eight inches of snow on the earth.
 I stayed over night Saturday night in Ft. Worth and left Sunday morning, February 19, for the Panhandle country of Texas and for points in Oklahoma. Sunday morning as we left Ft. Worth the snow was melting and everything was mud and slush. But as we travelled north the snow showed up much deeper, and soon we were far enough north to get out of the thaw.
 It Is turning colder and freezing here now Cat o'clock Sunday February 19). I will be compelled to have to remain over night here in Vernon in order to get a tran for my Oklahoma appoint ments.
 Object Lessons.
 I thought as was travelling through Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi and seeing the whole country flooded that this condition of things should put the people to thinking and devising some plan by which the soil may be protected from water. Water standing on the soil greatly injures the soil, washing out the plant food and causing the soil to be- come sour and hard to cultivate. While tile drainage as so often advocated would help very much, especially where there is an ample fall, yet there are many rich bottom level lands that Will need more protection than tile drainage will afford. I see no better plan than preparing canals for storing the great ne and hOldinR if until it can be disposed of without so much damage to the soil. There is no queston in my mind but what this or some other practical means will some day be adopted for the protection of the soil in these overflow sections. These little creeks and rivers should be con troled in some way and not be allowed to spread out all over the rich bottom lands To straighten out these streams, clear them of drifts and deepen their channels will no doubt do much to rem edy this trouble, yet there are some sections or localities where the storage canals will be needed and will prove of great benefit.
 Time Also Wasted.
 Besides the great drainage to the soil by this surplus water, there is a great loss of time by the farmers not being able to get their crops planted in due time. It may be a little premature to advocate this idea now, but 1t has to come, and the sooner our farmers begin to study these matters the better 1t will be for the country. When 1t becomes more densely populated when the farms of the south are cut up into small sec tions and when the owners of these small farms get to doing their own wrok, then these changes will begin to take place, and we will see all over the country farms free of stumps, bush briars and all this surplus water.
 The Fruit Prospect.
 It is too early to predict what the fruit crop will be or what loss has been incurred. This will all develop later on. The peach trees were blooming in Flor ida while I was there. but whether this last cold snap has chilled that section severely enough to hurt the peach crop I cannot say.
 Reports here state that the great onion crop of south Texas has been greatly damaged and that the crop will be un- usually late. The early potato crop is also bound to be late in nearly all sec tions. Planting has been delayed in all sections of the country.
 Wheat Crop Benefited.
 The heavy fall of snow over nearly all the wheat belt will prove of great benefit to this crop. Through Texas and Oklahoma the farmers are greatly en- couraged over the prospect for a fine crop of wheat. Tn these sections mois- ture was greatly needed. The winter wheat generally is late and small. but with favorable weather and with the present abundance of moisture it will grow fast and come out all right. The acreage of winter wheat seems to be small, as the weather in the fall was so dry that the soil could not be pre- pared for sowing. The abundant supply of moisture also gives much promise for other crops.