Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-04-23
PLANT LIFE To
MAKE NEWSTART
Freezeup Does Damage of Un-
told Thousands in This
Vicinity.
MERCURY is DOWN TO rs
All Fruits and Many Vegetables and
Farm Crops Ruined-EVen the
Leaves on Trees Gone.


It looks as though plant life will
have to begin all over again. Never
before in the memory of the Oldest in
habitant has the weather's favorite
spring trick of coaxing growing things
out only to take a good, healthy soak
at them been PLAYED with greater sue
cess. After the warmest March in the
history of the weather department we
are having one of the severest colo
snaps that has ever been experienced
| in the latter part of April There was
no frost this morning-it merely froze
up and is likely to remain in that con-
! dition for "a hours more, at Least.
The thermometer -ent to &c above
zero last night and the cold was driven
in by a 20-mile wind This morning
the ground was frozen hard enough to
bear the weight of man and it did
not thaw during the day Continued
cold is promised for tonight. which
will mean the ground will be frozen to
depth of two or three inches by
morning and untold damage will re-
suit
No Way to Protect Them
The storm, which brought a driving
snow during the day. came direct from
the Hudson bay region, in which most
of our sudden and severe cold waves
originate. 1t was of no use to cover up
tender plants that were out of doors,
for the wind blew under the covers.
Fire pots would have done no better,
for the warmth would have been dis
sipated by the gale as soon as gener-
ated. There was no way to dodge it.
Everything out of doors was simply
frozen up and whipped to FRAGILE.
To sum up the damage now is i'm
possible. Suffice it to say that it will
be enormous. The fruit is unquestion-
ably totally ruined, even Strawberries
probably sharing the general fate.
The hardy garden vegetables that with
stand ordinary frosts will by tomorrow
morning nearly all be killed, while po-
tatoes and even small grain may be
total loss. The effect upon the oats
probably gives the farmers of this vi
cinity more concern than that upon
any other one crop. If the frost gets
to the roots of the plants it will be all
over with them. Other small grains,
excepting winter wheat, are in much
the same position.
Leaves Freeze on Trees.
OF course ordinary flowers have been !
cut down and many a housewife is
mourning the death of plants that she
has nurtured carefully for months and
set out in the yard too early. Even /
the leaves on the native forest trees /
appear dead and the leafing out pro- /
cess will have to be repeated. Where /
trees are lacking in vitality they will .
probably be killed. It will be espe- !
cially hard on young trees that have +.
been set out this spring The work of |
those who observed Arbor day yester
day is practically undOne.
Not only has plant life sustained the
severest blow it has received in years,
but animals are suffering, too. Birds
have nested this spring earlier than
usual and the young birds. where
Matched, have in many cases frozen
to death in the nests. while eggs have
been frozen or chilled till they are
sterile. Young chicks. ducks. geese,
turkeys will in many cases die unless
given protection.
The party who discarded his "heav
les" is caught in a bad way, while the
family that has done away with its
heating plant for the summer is up
against it.
Season Set Back Month.
Instead of the season being nearly
a month earlier than usual, after this
weather gets through with its deadly
work it = very probable that every
thing iii be even later than in the
average spring. Early garden truck,
which Just began to reach the market.
will be cut off. and it will be necessary
to wait for a new crop to grow. There
will be a big demand for flower and
vegetable seed, while if it is found
that the small grain crop has been
affected the quest" IF find
ing seed enough to go y le-
planting will probably ious
0ne.
Came in May Last Near.
Much such a freeze as this came
May 4 last year. a hard frost winding
ID several days of cold weather and
ne SIOulu USlhS slightly lIOHSA uC
however. did not get be- !
ow 80 degrees and the damage, owing
o the lateness of the season, was not
nearly so great as will result from the
reeze we are now having.
The fountain in Spencer square pre-
;ented an unique sight today. The
upper basin was surrounded with a
inc of icicles two feet or more in
ength and growing steadily with the
six to eight degrees be-
ow the freezing point, giving pretty
FOOD evidence of the severity of the
weather.