The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-08-09
JULY DROUGHT
CROP DISASTER
FIGURES SHOW
Yields Are Cut, State Forecast
Says-Wayne's Wheat Az
erage II Bushels.

from the July report.
Spring wheat seems to have been
hit harder than any of the other crops,
with white potatoes running a close
second; the former dropping As points
and the latter SO points during the
month. Apples and pears show de-
cline Of only 2 points and peaches did
not lose any. The losses for other
crops are as follows: timothy hay.
8 points; broomcorn, 4; alfalfa and
cantaloupes. 5; field peas, 6; grapes,
z: grain sorghum and onions, 8 each;
millet. tobacco, tomatoes and water
melons, each; blackberries, field
beans and sugar beets. 10; corn, oats
and sorghum cane. IL; barley, Is; cab
bages, 20; sweet potatoes, p; and
pasture %.
The winter wheat forecast for Au-
gust is 42,s3o 900 bushels is compared
with 55,S09,000 bushels in May. The
August forecast for rye Is 5,964,O00
bushels as compared with 7,264,000
bushels in May. The buckwheat crop
shows 20 percent. less acreage this
year than last and condition figure
of 80 percent. of normal which indi-
Gates a crop Of $4,000 bushels.
Showers Save Corn
At the most critical stage Of the
corn crop, good showers occurred in
most localities and saved the crop
from ruin, although on thin and sandy
soils, it is badly fired and will not
do much good. Some of the bottom
land and in places where showers &C.
cured frequently, the crop is in splen-
did condition, but as a whole. it was
severely damaged by the drought in
July. The August condition figure is
rs percent. of normal, compared with
SO percent. in July, which indicates
a production of 165,075,00O bushels at
this time.
The average yield of winter wheat
is only Is bushels per acre, although
few fields produced as high as 40
bushels. The straw was exceptional
ly heavy but the heads generally were
small and poorly filled which is attri-
buted to scab, smut, insects and ripen-
ing too quickly during the hot weather
in June. The present forecast Is for
42,930,0 900 bushels compared with 55,-
100000 in May.
The figure for spring wheat Is 40
percent. of normal compared with 80
percent. for July. The hot wealth er
in July was the principal factor in
the decline of this crop.
Oats shows a decline Of IL points
for the month. being II percent. of
normal compared with SO percent. last
month. The straw was very short
and thin and the heads did not fill
well because of the hot weather.
Rye Yields IA Bushels.
Threshing Of the rye crop is about
completed with an average yield of IA
bushels per acre for the state, which
indicates a production Of 1854, 900
h1,c oil ~nI
forecast of 1854 900 bushels
The buckwheat acreage is 20 per
cent less than last year and amounts
to approximately 10000 acres The
condition at this time is rs per cent
of normal, which indicates a crop of
295, 900 bushels.
Hot, dry weather during July pract-
ically ruined the early varieties of
potatoes and materially Injured the
later ones. The condition figure
dropped from 81 er cent in July to
81 per cent at this time.
Sweet potatoes declined from 90 per
cent in July to II per cent in August.
The deterioration was not as pro-
bounced in the commercial sections
as in other parts of the state.
Rains on the last day or two of July
started the tobacco growing again,
to IS per cent in August indicates the
extent of the damage by the dry, hot
weather.
Hay Is Fairly Good.
The total hay acreage of the state
shows a reduction of per cent over
last year. Timothy hay was one of
the best crops produced in recent
years. but the clover and mixed hays
were very weedy, with an average
yield of only IL tons per acre. The
second cutting OF alfalfa was extreme
ly short.
Pastures show a decline from "a per
cent in July to II per cent at this
time and in some places it became
necessary for farmers to feed their
stock.
Field peas show a condition figure
of so per cent and field beans 81 per
cent at this time which is decline of
s and 10 points. respectively for
these crops.
Tomtoes, cabbage and onions show
spectively, over last month. The con.
dition Of these crops at this time as
compared with normal is IS per cent
for tomatoes, 6S per cent for cabbages
and 80 per cent for onions.
Fruits All Decline.
All fruit crops. except peaches, show
small decline over last month
apples and pears losing points
grapes points and blackberries 10
POINTS. Present condition figures
show % per cent for apples, Is per
cent for peaches, % per cent for pears
and 20 per cent for grapes and "a per
cent for blackberries.
Watermelons and cantaloupes are OF
splendid quality, but the dry, hot
weather during July cut the produc'
ton and points respectively; the
present condition figures being IS pei
cent for watermelons and so per cent
for cantaloupes.
Sorghum cane suffered loss OF Il
points. The present condition is Il
per cent.
For the United States. the winter
wheat has dropped from $685. 0C
bushels forecasted in the May reort
to 715,000,000 August l. The oats
forecast for August / is 266,000,OOC
bushels; a decline Of 1877 100000 bush
els and 100000 bushels. respective
ly.
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