Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1911-01-12

MoOrhead, MIMI, the cehter VI sne
spring wheat region, revealed total
rainfall, in May, June and July, OF
only two and half inches, as COM
pared with a normal rainfall OF near
" eleven inches. 1t was almost un-
heard Of. Conditions were nearly
AZ bad in northern California ana
Oregon. Florida had a siege OF It..
wyoming, ordinarily dry, the past
season resembled the Desert OF sa-
hara. Small reservoirs. used IN the
,ate-summer irrigation of the alfalIa
crops this year were completely dried
nm and at several of the points not
| even the first cutting amounted to
ANYTHING. The timothy product
climbed to a fabulous price BEFORE
the winter feeding time. Thousands
of sheep were removed from their
customary ranges to pasture ~
neighboring states, although even
there drought conditions were nearly
as bad.
There was shortage of reservoir wa
tier in Colorado by early summer and
resultant lively scramble among
farmers to bring their crops to ma
lturity with the small supply at hand.
There was practically no rainfall dur
ling July and early August In Color
ado There was big movement to
get live stock to Chicago and Kansas
lc,tv markets from western territory.
Hay was selling as high as twenty
dollars per ton In Colorado In octo-
her. For that matter, hay through
out the entire country was bringing
twelve dollars and up the last month
lin the year, as against ten dollars
land fifty cents twelve months before
land nine dollars in 1908.
The New England and the greater
lpart of the Atlantic states came Tor
ward with an amazingly low report
Springs, wells and brooks, before that
considered inexhaustible, failed en-
Itirely. Rivers supplying water power
fell so low that in some places mills
were Obliged to suspend operations
Tor RELY upon their auxiliary steam
plants. In cities of such size as Sa-
lem. in Massachusetts, water boards
have asked residents to use as little
water as possible. In Athol every
lone was asked to cut down his daily
consumption by one-half. This con-
ldition persisted in the cotton-reglon
districts of the south throughout the
entire summer. In the greater part
of Texas and Oklahoma it had not
been relieved by December.
The general drought was some
what dispelled in the latter part OF
November and by snowstorms in the
early days of December. The latter
were of the greatest benefit to the
country, for they brought general
rains and SHOWS from the lower Mis-
lsouri and middle Mississippi valleys
eastward to the Atlantic coast. New
ertheless, the water supply was still
alarmingly low toward the first OF
the year.
Just what effect a continuation
of this drought would have on next
years crops is a matter of serious
conjecture. The soil conditions ap-
pear to be good. But it all hinges
on the water supply of the country
being brought to normal. 1t was
said at the weather bureau that there
lis no reason to anticipate other than
THAT the usual amount of rain Will
be received during the coming year
and the drought will be relieved. In
any case the dry spell of 1910 Will
90 down as a record-breaker. 1t is
doubtful If the country ever saw any
thing like such deficient moisture
period. If SO the government records
fail to show it.