Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-08-29
SOME NOTABLE DRoUGHTs.
They Had Effect on Crops and Al
Manner of Business.

Although copious rains in the past
few weeks have restored the parched
vegetation of the farms of the Unit
ed States, the summer of 1911
will be long remembered as a season
of widespread and unprecedented
drought. In other years there have
been more severe droughts In certain
sections of the country, but this year
the rainfall was far below normal In
the early summer in nearly all Of the
states. The rainfall in 1910 was gen.
orally below normal also, and the re-
sultant shortage in the stock OF
moisture in the soil caused the
drought to be even more injurious to
crops than, usual.
1t is q remarkable feature OF
the American agricultural resources
however that even general drought
following a period of low rainfall In
previous years, has not brought q
threat of famine The greatest dam
age has been to garden truck, pota-
toes and other vegetables requiring a
great deal of rain. The grain crops
other than corn, escaped because the
drought came too late to hurt them
and the rains came again in time to
save the greater part Of the corn
crop. Nevertheless, many localities
have suffered great loss and the cost
of living will be Influenced by the
shortage.
For some reason. which has moi
yet been ascertained by any scientist
the average rainfall throughout the
whole country has been diminished
during the past ten years. Whether
or not this decrease Is likely to be
permanent no one can tell. At vari.
Gus times, since the existence Of the
United States weather bureau, the
amount of rainfall has increased OF
decreased in different parts Of the
country. causing the chart indicating
1t to present a wavelike appearance
There is twelve inches difference be.
tween the maximum rainfall Of the
country as recorded, and that Of
1910, and according to the present in
dications this year will increase the
difference Of precipitation which Ii
already greatly below any previou!
record.
Former droughts have, in mos
cases, been confined to one or two
sections of the country, but this yeal
1t prevailed throughout the whole
United States, with the exception o.
few isolated localities where the
rainfall has been a little above nor
NAL.
The greatest droughts on record
this summer, as measured by the de-
crease in rainfall, are in South Caro-
lima and Kansas, where during June
and July the precipitation has beer
from 32 to 38 per cent below normal
The normal rainfall throughout the
country has been estimated by the
United States weather bureau at 2!
inches. and the area Is divided ir
this respect into the following classi.
fication: Desert or arid lands, II
inches per year; semi-arid or light
rains, 20 to 25 inches; moderate, 2E
to so inches; copious, so to rs inche:
and excessive, above rs inches.
A rainfall of less than IS inche:
precludes ordinary agriculture, ex.
cepting by the aid Of irrigation. Ir
some localities the dry farming OF
certain crops overcomes the difficulty
of scant moisture to a large extent
Dry farming is really good farming
ural advantage. This is one of the
means by which the department Of
agriculture expects to keep up the
standard Of crops throughout the
country, even though the rainfall
should continue to decrease as 1t has
during the past decade.
According to the latest record the
United States has less than per cent
Of its area in the excessive rainfall
class, exceeding rs inches annually
Sixteen per cent ranges from SO to II
inches, 25 per cent ranges from 25 tc
SO inches and 80 per cent from 16 tc
25 inches and 20 per cent less thar
10 inches. 1t Is upon these figures
that the normal average Of 20 inches
per annum is based.
The measuring the rainfall through.
out the United States Is made by
means of careful tests at each Of the
200 observation stations of the
weather bureau. Carefully construct.
ed rain gauges are supplied by which
the rain Is collected continually anG
measured and estimated for the sur
face Of that particular locality. II
speaking Of the rainfall Of the coun'
try the Specification is that the
amount of water which fails would
If collected, at once, reach the num-
ber of inches indicated during the
year
Irrigation is advancing to a degree
which indicates that In some sections
of the country the farmer will be alb
solutely Independent of seasonable
rainfalls, although at present 1t Is
not depended upon to any apprecia-
BILE degree for the most essential
crops. In the sections where irriga.
ton prevails, there has been no scar
city of water this year, despite the de-
creased rainfalls because 1t happens
that the heavy snowfalls last winter
provided a sufficient amount of water
for this season. If such drought as
is now prevailing throughout the
country should follow upon a winter
in which the snowfall has been light
there might be scarcity of water
for supplying the irrigation plants
even where they are we'll established
The causes Of drought, like vari-
Gus other phenomena Of nature have
never been explained. They have
happened from time to time since the
beginning Of the world, and, in for
mer years. have brought a far great
er suffering to mankind than they
are ever likely to cause again. When
the crops of a nation fail a famine
ensues, unless some provision has
been made to prevent 1t.
The first great drought on record
i'm the United States took place In
New England in 1749. Historians re-
cord especially the suffering Of the
cattle, which could find no food in
the dried up pastures. In some places
the ground dried up and cracked
open in deep fissures The fish died
in the dried up streams and ponds,
This drought also extended as far
south as Pennsylvania, for colonists
in that state imported hay from Eng
land to feed their cattle at a cost of
three shillings per hundredweight.
Owing to the difficulty of obtaining
food many farmers that year slaugh-
tered their cattle and subsisted dur
ing the winter upon the meat they
thus secured, often having to eat It
without bread of any kind, since the
grain crop was almost a total failure.
A second drought in New England
took place in 1862, which caused
even greater suffering than the first.
1t is claimed that at this time there
was absolutely no rainfall from May
to July 80. Public fasts were pro-
claimed, and in most of the churches
in Boston, Falmouth and other towns
almost continuous services were held
for a week in the different churches
to pray for rain. 1t Is said that in
this drought thousands of cattle per-
ished and that the loss to the colo
nists was felt even up to the time of
the Revolutionary war.
70 1rnnUbt pf thic