The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1917-07-21
CROPS SERIOUSLY DAMAGED
Oats, Barley and Wheat Hurt by Dry
Weather in the Western
Counties of Kansas.

|
| With the exception OF northwestern
! Kansas and a few central and western
counties which were favored with
rains on June % and %, Kansas is in
the grip of a severe drouth that al
ready has seriously damaged oats,
! barley and even wheat in the western
counties and has cut short the potato
crop in all parts. Such is the far
| from encouraging news contained in
the weekly summary of weather and
crop conditions in Kansas for the
week ending on July 8, issued by the
section center of the weather bureau
at Topeka
Corn and grain, sorghum and, in
! the southwest counties, broom corn,
have not yet been damaged by the
drouth, declares the report. They are
all behind the season and much of
them have not been replanted. In
the northeastern counties corn made
a satisfactory growth this week, con-
tinues the summary, but elsewhere its
! growth was slow and will be still
slower unless rain comes soon.
Wheat harvest is under way gen.
orally in the eastern two-thirds Of the
state with very favorable weather"
says the report while in the south
eastern and central counties it has
| barely begun. In the extreme west
ern counties the condition of wheat
is so poor that harvest will not be
much of an event. Threshing will be-
| gin in the southern counties next
week
can unusually large and fine crop of
oats is ready to cut in the eastern
third of the state. In the central coun-
ties, oats has been prematurely ripen-
ed by the dry, hot weather, and in the
extreme western sections the crop is
a practical failure.
''The second cutting of alfalfa is
generally ready in the eastern coun-
ties and it's harvest has begun with
favorable weather. Like pastures and
prairie hay, it has been injured by the
drouth except in the few localities
where rain has fallen lately
Apples still are in fair condition.
The use of early apples has begun in
the southern counties
x X x
First Settler Dead-Mrs. Jane D.
Kinder, Eldorado's first settler, is
dead at the age of 81.
x x x
Wichita Man Drowned-Harry Dorr,
a Wichita man, was drowned at Flat
terry Rocks, Wash, when a fishing
boat in which he was riding over
turned.
Pea Crops VaIuabIe.-WiT PendIe-
ton of the Kaw Valley Canning Com
pany estimates that Douglas county
farmers have raised 200 acres of peas
at an average profit of S55 an acre.
The crop planted by Albert Pine net
ted him 500 an acre.
x X
Train Kills TWo.-Francis Berge-
meir, 10, and Norman Elliott, 10, were
killed by a train south of Chanute re-
Gently. They. stood on a passing track
to watch a freight train go by and
were struck by a work train which
had gone up on the siding to let the
other train pass.
Big Deal in Coal Lands.-The pur-
chase of nearly one thousand acres of
coal land in Crawford county, Kansas,
and Barton county. Missouri, near Ar
cadia, by the Clemens Coal Company
was announced recently. The price
was $1Os,OOO.
Setting Fire to Wheat FieIds-An
attempt was made to burn the wheat
field of George Potwin, south of
Lyons, by throwing an incendiary
bomb from a freight train. The en-
tire field of Charles Neil was burned
in the same manner.
. Quits Job to Join NaVy.-Orlin
Weede, stepson Of former Governor W.
J. Bailey, has enlisted in the navy as
q yeoman Weede, who is a graduate
of Kansas University law school, re-
signed a $4,000 a year position to en-.
list.
. Motor Spill Killed Two.-A motor
car salesman known as ''Swede" John
son, who travels for the United States
. Rubber Company, and Forest Dowden,
! young son of J. R. Dowden, an Oberlin
merchant, were killed near OberIin
when a car skidded and turned over
! Raise Price of Threshing-Thresh-
! ing machine men say it viii be neces-
sary to increase the price of thresh.
ing wheat this year on an average OF
five cents a bushel. The high cost OF
COAL supplies. labor and food is re
sponsible for the raise.