Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1908-05-15
Good Fruit Crop
Gold Weather the Last
OfApriI Does Some.
Damage
While Part Of the Fruit is Killed
There is Plenty Left ft-Sprins
has Been Very Dry.

This spring has been an unusual one
for this climate in many respects. 1t
has been very dry. even for this
favored country where, according
to popular belief in the east, it never
rains. During the entire month Of
April the precipitation was only Is OF
an inch, hardly enough all together to
settle the dust Ordinarily the rainfall
during the spring months is sufficient
for the needs of growing crops, and
farmers do not need to begin irriga-
ton until about the first of June, but
this season the irrigation plants have
been working over time to supply the
needs of growing crops. Water for ir-
rigation will be scarce this year and
ranches will need to use care in distrib-
uting the precious fluid where it is most
needed. In many places there will be
an actual shortage of water, owing to
the extra demands made upon it.
But while the water supply may be
short enough in localities to seriously
embarr.ss farmers, still they have a
big advantage over the farmer in the
rain belt who has his crops cut short by
drouth, owing to the fact that farmers
here in the west know beforehand
what their supply for water will be
and can make preparations to meet the
shortage. If the supply of water
promises to be very scant the irrigation
farmer can limit the amount of land he
plants, if necessary, so that ne raises |
good crops but not sa large as ordinar-
ily, while the rainbelt farmer, not
knowing that there viii be sufficient
rainfall, plants all of his land and
raises little or nothing to repay him for
his labor and seed.
In another respect this season is un- /
usual in that the wind has blown as If |
it meant business with capital B. The
old settlers have complained a great |
deal about the wind but if shey should /
live in Kansas a short time they would
find that Idaho is not d circumstance
for genuine wind storms.
A very fair fruit crop for Southern
Idaho is practically assured. In some
localities the crop is damaged more or
less and in others it is untouched by
the cold weather of April or May.
Apples are in condition for good
average crop. Prunes, cherries, peaches,
ETC., are hurt pretty bad in places but
the whole crop will average we'll
Pears are mostly in good shape. Small
fruits are damaged only sli5htly.
During the latter part of April it
looked as though the fruit would all be
killed any many fruit-growers so pre-
dicted. The coolest weather for the
month of April was the first when the
thermometer dropped to Is degrees, (
but this was too early to seriously dam
age the fruit crop. Then the weather
men got good and gave us some very
pleasant weather which brought the
fruit buds into full bloom in many
places, but the last of the month was
cold enough to make fruit growers turn
blue. The night of the 25th registered
23ls degrees and did some damage, other
nights about this time cooled down
25. 2S. % and on. However the sky
was cloudy and the wind blew during
this time so that no frost formed,
otherwise the damage would have been
greater. The early part of this month
has also been cool. On the night of
the 1lth and also the next night the
mercury contracted until it sank to 81
degrees but no damage was done.
The temperature above is for Sho-
shone as recorded by the cooperative
observer at this point. A few miles in
any direction and these figures would
not hold good as the altitude makes
much difference.
In the Hagerman valley vegetation
is much farther along than here. April
cots are half grown at the present time,
With peaches and other fruit close
second.
The Watkins Jubilee Singers Of Tenn
sssee are booked for the opera house
tomorrow niget. Everybody enjoys
he Jubilee Singers. Nothing like the
I'D plantation melodies and the songs
IF Dixie to awaken an audience to en-
thusiam and rapturous delight.
They come here under the auspicies
# the Odd Fellows and Knights OF
ovthias and no better backing is needed
they deserve crowded house.