Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1909-07-30
4 MILLION DOLLAR RAIN
Heaviest Rain Ever Known i'm July.
Falls This Week, Doing Heavy
Damage

The term "a million dollar rain
has become familiar to people of III
Inland Empire. That is the valu
placed on some of the rains whic
have fallen in this country whe
rain was needed and which was he
lieVed to be worth million dollar
to the growing crops. This week III,
Inland Empire has had anothe
million dollar rain" but the figure.
must be placed on the debit side OF
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 all 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
80 hours. The rain began falling
at 1880 Tuesday morning and con-
tlnued 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, |
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 fat and
large portion of it will be lost
Some of the grain may be saved,
but it will be expensive work. Scyth-
eS will have to be used in many
so bushels per acre and worth 80 to
80 cents, it is well worth saving
even if it had > be cut with a 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 practica-
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 Il
Of it can be saved by combied ma
chimes or binders. Some will have t
TO be cut with mower. 1t will take
four men to operate a mower. One
man to drive the horses and three h
to throw the swaths out of the way /
Of the machine, but the grain can
be saved" w. l.. LaFollette said:
Il don't believe | lost one acre in
100 acres. | think almost all OF
the grain, unless it is lying per
fectly fiat, can be cut with com
binde machine. | know that | have
cut grain that was down so badly
t looked like a mower would scarce
ly save it and the combined machine
got it all"
]. NJ. Atkins is heavy loser He
har rs acres of College Hybrid that
Is down badly and much of it will
be lost. Mr.. ,.ovall says he thinks
he can cut it and offers to do so
after his own grain is saved. Mr..
Atkins wants to buy lot OF hogs
and turn them into the field and
there Is such a demand for hogs
FOR this purpose that it is likely
number of carloads of stock will be
brought from the middle west to eat
the wheat that is lying down in the
Palouse country. Mr.. Atkins estl-
mates the percentage of loss of the
crop at 15 per cent. of the total
n the vicinity of Pullman.
]. S. Adams, manager of the Coo
lidge- -McClaine ranch, says that
arge amount of grain is down in his
eighborhood. The ground has be-
come so softened L. wneat is rail-
ng of it's own weight. Some farm
,rs and some grain men place the
oss as high as % per cent. of the
.otal crop of Whitman county. while
others place it as low as 5 per cent
Should the loss reach the higher
figure. which nearly everyone pe-
Iieyes to be much too high, the crop
Win We, he above the average in
Weld and value and the amount oil
grain saved will be larger than ever
grown in the same area outside Oh
the Palouse country.