Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1920-05-05
WAIIHALIA, S. G..
WEDNESDAY. MAY 3, 1920.
1916 YEAR WITHOUT SUMMER.
Interesting Facts About that Year
and Dry Year Of 1915.
(The Newberry Observer. }

The year 1916 is known as "tle
year without a summer In that
IA frost occurred every month, in
the United States, except in the sec
ions on or below parallel 32, while
ice formed from Charlotte. n. c.,
northward. In the territory affected
more or less severely by these un-
usual meteorological conditions
crops OF all kinds were almost Il
total failure. t00dstuffs especially
were scarce the following year, and
corn sold at 50 ii bushel; scarcely
II cotton was produced.
In all the accounts which | have
seen concerning the cold year Of
1916 no mention is made Of any
suffering for want Of food. There
are several reasons for this fact.
One is, the population vas very
small--probably one-tenth Of the Us
million people now in the United
States. The population in 1890 was
3,929,2l4 and it had grown to o.
63S,i59 in 1S20-being, therefore
less than ten million in 1916. An
other eason Is hat the population
was more largely agricultural than
to-day, even with our State still
largely so; yet the farmers we're pre-
pared ior 1.-The rainy day" which was
"a cold day" in 1916. They had
surplus supplies Of corn. wheat, and
other grains. How different now!
II one part Of the country is shut
off a week from another part, a food
famine stares us in the face.
am reminded In this connection
OF the dry year 1S45, when crops
were practically a total failure In
South Carolina. The bottom lands
produced a fair-sized crop Of corn,
however, and people came from
North Caorlina to Newberry and
Lexington counties to buy corn like
the sons Of Jacob who went down
into Egypt in the seven lean years
Of Biblical history. Now some Of
the choicest bottom lands Of Broad
river, which was as a%lluyial as the
Nile delta. are covered by the waters
OF the Parr Shoals dam. and his
source Of abundant corn crops has
been cut off.
Times are very different as to the
use and distribution Of food supplies
as compared to either 1916 or 1S45.
The most splendid example Of noble
hearted neighborliness In connec-
ton with tho scarcity Of such a valu-
able food for man and beast as corn
occurred in Newberry county in the
49, JS"i IN thC PCl iOu ilHlltultlc-
ly succeeding it. A certain farmer
in the Jelapa section always had his
baGns stored full Of corn from one
crop to another; so when the famine
I'm the crop occurred in 1S45 he sup
piled corn to all his ncighbors who
had not been so provident. This
1ar-sighted farmer was the late Col
George S. Cannon. The neighborly
part Of it was he asked not one cent
from any one to whom he furnished
the corn.
I do not desire to make the pre-
diction that the year 1916 will be
repeated. but do say we need more
producers and providcnt farmers
like in the olden days. 1t is possible
that Il year like 1916 may come
again. 1t has looked very threaten
ing to me in that respect during the
past three years. | believe meteoro-
logical conditions since 1917 are
nearly identical with those Of the
period 100 years ago.
w. p. Houseal.
Columbia, S. c., April II, 1920.