Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1909-07-30
4 MILLION DOLLAR RAIN
Heaviest Rain Ever Known in Ju,v
Falls This Week, Doing Heavy
Damage

The term "a million dollar min
has become familiar to people of III
lhIaho empire. That is the valu,
placed on some of the rains which
nave fallen in this country wha,
ram was needed and which was be
lleVed to be worth a million dollar,
to the growing crops This week the
inland Empire has had anothe,
million dollar rain" but the figures
must be placed on the debit side ot
the ledger and written in red ink
for they represent loss to growing
or maturing crops.
The oldest inhaditant" cannot
remember when a heavy rain has
fallen late in July, but this rain
breaks ali records not only for the
time of year, but the vast volume
OF water that has fallen. Careful
measurements show that two and
one-half inches of rain fell in about
sc hours. The rain began falling
at 1880 Tuesday morning and con-
tinued until almost noon on We'd
nesday, while showers continued aft
er that time At times the rain fell
in torrents, coming down in sheets
and the hillsides became raging
streams. Water poured over the
sidewalks and down the streets
seeking an outlet to the lower levels
The streams were raised noticeably
a condition never before known at
this time of year.
In the country the rain played
havoc with the standing wheat
Thousands of acres of fine wheat
(which would have yielded 35 to so
bushels to the acre is lying fiat and
a large portion of it will be lost,
Some of the grain may be saved
but it will be expensive work. Scyth-
IS will have to be used in many
fields, 1ut with grain yielding 40 or
80 bushels per acre and worth so to
90 cents, it is we'll worth saving
even if it had j be cut with reap
hook and threshed with a fail.
There is vast difference of opin-
ion as to the amount of damage
done and the expense or practical
bility of saving the grain that has
been knocked down. E. A. Stovall,
who has had much experience, said:
Il believe that | can save almost all
of the grain that is down. | do not
expect to lose any of my crop. Most
of il can be saved by combled ma
chimes or binders. Some will have
to be cut with a mower. 1t Will take
four men to operate mower, one
man to drive the horses and three
To throw the swaths out OF the way
of the machine, but the grain can
no saved" w. l.. LaFollette said
81 don't believe | lost one acre IL
100 acres. l think almost all o.
4 1.-THE grain, unless it is lying per
itectlv fiat, can be cut with a com
hinde machine. ! know that | have
cut grain that was down so badi'
IT looked like a mower would scarce
"a w save If and the combined machin
got it ALL
I NJ Atkins is a heavy loser. h
has "a acres of College Hybrid tina
is down badly end much of it WI
ho loot Mr.. oval says he think
no can cut it and offers to do S
af+or his own grain is saved. MI
Atkirs wants to buy lot of hog
aud turn them into the field an
x1.>.o e such a demand for hog
san +bis purpose that it is likely
,bar of carloads of stock will b.
h~anoht from the middle west to ca
49, 1ybeat that is lying down in thu
naIorse country. Mr.. Atkins estl
ties the percentage of loss of thu
crop at Is per cent OF the to'a
in the jicinity of Pullman.
J. s. Adams, manager OF the coo
udoa-McClaine ranch, says that
large amount of grain is down IN hi'
fnaiohborhood. The ground mas De
I come so softened L. wheat Is iaii'
to Of its own weight Some farm
! NJ and some grain men place the
loss as high as % per cent OF the
total crop of Whitman county "hile
others place it as low as . per een ~
should the loss reach the higher
egure. which nearly everyone De-
lieves to be much too high' Tue = ~ -
will yeJ be above the average ~
yNld and value and the amour lnou aver or
grain saved will be larger than ever =,
grown in the same area ou''
nj ,..~o aouutrV.