The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1911-06-29
NO RAIN SINCE APRIL.
"Old Timer" Writes of the Drought
and the Lightning.

.Old Timer" Writes of the Drought
and the Lightning.
Wanderers Rest, June 23.-Man
is of few days and doomed to disap-
pointment. That prize acre of corn
that was to be the pride of an old
mans eye, pictured to be so green
and rank, laden with large, plump
ears, now a little shriveled, tangled
mass, all bent and twisted, ready to
| fall, all caused by the long drought.
No rain except sprinkles have fallen
since April 20, and then light show
ers. Not a puddle of water seen in
a furrow this year is the record for
this farm, a condition never known
in the memory of the writer. At this
season, June, usually too much is
the average; now the sun rises as a
superheated plate of polished steel,
sending forth it's rays to wither and
scorch all vegetation, even the grass
in the low grounds is dead and
scorched, and if a match was applied
would burn as tinder. Many trees
are dead; the COWS are fed from the
barn as in January is the condition
that prevails here, and unless rain
comes very soon provision crops of
all kinds are to be failure. Cotton
still holds on, growing very little but
fruiting near the ground. Are we
to have another 1881? Hope not,
for that year of drought burned its
memory in the brain of all old
enough to remember it that will nev-
er be forgotten. The rain here came
on the 26th day of July, much of the
corn fallen fiat on the ground, and,
as an old lady expressed it, II went
to see brother; saw the craps; they
did look so pitiful then I went to
church, saw more craps; dey sho'
pitiful," and that was fair way to
express it. And now the corn and
grass are in the same plight.
Now, boys, don't get discouraged,
you who have corn crops in the dry
districts; for one failure is nothing.
When you live a lifetime you will
find them all along, but they all, each
one of them, teach a valuable lesson.
The greatest one is that if at first you
don't succeed, try, try again. and If
little corn is made this year you have
an acre of land that will produce
fine crops for a number of years,
and that will place you in the way of
better farming and that will be worth
great deal in lifetime. The pres
ent drought has demonstrated the
value of deep plowing. Lands were
broken on this farm, all of them by
actual measurement, 6, Z, 9, IL
inches deep in January and Febru-
ary. Now go over the fields, there
is proof of the pudding, IL inches is
far in the lead Of the others and
the cotton growing strong and Wig
orous with no signs of failing, while
that broken inches is far smaller
and is showing the effects of the
drought, all with 900 pounds fer
tilizer to the acre. Corn not so
marked, for the dry spell has lasted
so long that all has failed and will
be almost a total failure for the
early planted.
Not a rose to cheer the eye, only
two buds on one. bush, even the
dahlias are not blooming, and only
three varieties of verbenas hold
on; the little violets all prone and
dead, fit emblems of the effects of
the drought, yet they will grow again
and. give JOY next fall. One effect of
the heat is the half-hearted song of
the mocking bird; he sings as with a
broken heart, but all will be changed
when the rain comes, for the crops
will be revived, the grass grow, and
the old farmer will be wreathed in
smiles, old brindle will enjoy the
succulent grass and chew her cud in
peace, the hardship all forgotten,
and the birds sing as of old.
How much energy in single
stroke of lightning! A few days ago
bolt came down, using a tall pine
as conductor, to within twenty feet
of the ground, leaped from pine to
nearby telephone line, seyered one
wire, the end of which fell on a
brush pile, soon a conflagration be-
gan; it then ran down a post nearby;
on Olar end it ran down four posts,
then took line to Mr.. ]. S. Breland's,
running down several posts on the
way; negro girl was washing the
floor of the front piazza which was
covered with fire by it, jumped on
Mr.. BIS wire fence and killed the