The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1918-07-08
NEW LIFE PUT
IN CROPS BY
GENERAL RAIN
Saturdays DownpOur Will Save
Much Wheat and Help
:.,:. Other Cereals
NORTH 500 IS FORTUNATE
Half Inch to Inch Reported from
Bismarck to Sanish- r.
- Fields Revived

Rain which fell in amounts varying
from one-tepth: to an inch over cent.
trail North Dakota on Saturday have
revived scorched wheat fields, bright
ened up corn, potatoes, oats and bar
ley and have saved thousands of acres
OF flax which was slow in terminating
or which would not have germinated
at all but for this timely rain. "The
rain in itself is not sufficient to save
the crop, but it will tide it over for
a few days until we get more rain,
and it is of inestimable value to
North Dakota. said Weather Observ'
er O. W. Roberts today.
Along the. North 500, from Bismarck
to Sanish, the rainfall ranged from
half an inch to an inch At Wash
burn full inch Of rain fell, and q
drive through the section between Bis.
marck and Washburn on Sunday
found all of the fields green and fresh.
Even the most severely turned wheat
fields have taken on new life, and IT
is believed that Saturdays rain will
insure an average yield OF six to seven
bushels the acre, which, at $40 the
ushel. should make this years wheat
the biggest money crop OF this cereal
central North Dakota has ever had.
Winter rye will fill out more salts.
-factorily as {. result OF this rain, and
oat fields which have been backward
cd ~ u,io
! !" Flax Much Benefited. =
The greatest benefit will be: the ef-
feet OF this rain. on flax. Flax plant
ed on new breaking, where it had
terminated at all, had not suffered SO
severely from the drouth as had other
crops, on old land, but the. flax was
badly in need 0: rain. Saturdays
down. pour, farmers believe, will as.
sure big crops ,~ot flax, and with a
promise that the seed will sell around
IS this fall, this will mean millions
to- the farmer. Pastures have been re.
vived, giving promise Of an abundance
of, hay, WITHOUT which central North
Dakota would have faced q real crisis
this fall. Corn, which has come
through the drouth exceptionally well.
is taking on new lease of life be-
cause of the rain, and it should make
an unusually good crop. =: =
Much OF the wheat is already head.
ed out, and ina majority Of the fields
the tips of the heads, for perhaps a
fifth Of their length, are dried up.
The remainder OF the head has only
begun to fill, and THIS rain will mean
plump, full kernels. The stand Of
though the stalk. is very short. Only
here and there are to be found spots
which are entirely burned out. In
many cases even these brown patch
es are greeting out. 49,
Cloudy Weather Ideal.
The cloudy weather and low tempera-
ture which followed Saturdays rain
produced ideal conditions for reviving
the wheat. Every drop OF moisture
was conserved, There was not even
a brisk wind to evaporate the thick.
clustering rain DROPS. Fields invad.
ed yesterday we're solf and spongy, in.
dicating that the moisture had pene-
trated to depth Of several inches.
the hills blossomed ont q fresh green,
and as one sailed along the highways
between wide sweeps Of verdure it
was almost impossible to believe that
only "a hours before everything had
been brown and listless.
Rainfall officially reported to
Weather Observer o. w. Roberts
ranged as follows: Bismarck .23; Viii.
liston, SIS; Grafton, II; Grand Forks,
a., Jamestown. 80; Langdon, 49,;
Lisbon, 1.15; Minot. IS: Napoleon,
~; Pembina, 20; Wahpeton. AZ:
Present indications are for continued
unsettled weather, with probable
showers. Weather Observer Roberts,
however, / sof the opinion that the
general rains, for the time:being, have
passed over.