Evening star., 1923-03-20
DAMAGE TO CROPS
REACHES MILLIONS
Early Vegetables and Fruits
Hardest Hit-Oats Suffer
Most Among Grains.
BY j. @. ROYLE.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star
NEW YORK, March 20.-The south.
west and southwest sustained damage
10 crops aggregating many millions
OF dollars as result of the blizzard
which ragged Monday night The storm
carried freezing temperatures far be-
low the Florida state line in the
southeast and did millions of dollars,
damage to early vegetables, straw
berry and fruit crops. Reports TODAY
from Atlanta indicate that the bulk Of
the Georgia peach crop. which thirty
six hours ago had the brightest prom
ise in years, may have been killed.
Cotton planted earlier than usual in
the lower southern belt 10 avoid
raVageS of the boil weeYil was hard
hit. Peach growers in Georgia work
ed constantly with smudge fires in
the nope of saving some of the buds
but rains which fell a few hours be-
1ore the cold wave filled the buds
with water and rendered them par
Icularly sensitive to damage Central
Georgia orchards were in full bloom
Inc north Georgia crop, which was
two or three weeks behind the south
ern orchards, is believed to have es-
capped
Potato Crop suffers.
The fruit and vegetable crops Of
Louisiana and Mississippi also suf-
fered severely and many fields viii
have TO be replanted, their owners
losing the advantage of the early
spring market
In the middle west one-third of the
potato crop of the kaw valley, on
practically al that was in the ground,
probably will be a total loss. accord
ing to +. o. Bletch of Topeka,
county farm agent. The zero
weather has frozen the ground TO
Wheat in Kansas probably suffered
little damage. according to S. D.
Flora, state meteorologist.
Oats Also Hit Hard.
The thermometer fell to nine de-
grees above zero in Oklahoma and
the damage to the peach crop in that
S2.500.0o0. according to John A.
Whitehurst. president of the state
board of agriculture. Loss to other
crops. he said. could not yet be es-
timated, although il undoubtedly was
extremely large. Oats probably suf-
ferSd the worst of the grains.
The storms of the last week also have
imposed severe check on Easter shop
ping, according to reports from all sec
tions OF the country This is being re-
tiected in the falling off in recorders TO
wholesalers and manufacturers. The ef- !,
feet of the weather conditions is eN-
pected to disappear quickly. however,
and merchants are confident that tha
! expected volume of business is dalayed
! not lost.
Labor Shortage Pressing.
Shortage Of farm labor to handle the
spring work now under way is being
reflected in higher wages. Farmers in
South Dakota now are paying $40 a
month. with board and room included.
Wage advances are being considered by
| steel company executives. according 70 i,
reports TODAY from steel Centers. The :
| nrta involved aid &c 50
much the question of an advance as
whether the increase would be of mate
rial benefit. since additional labor for
the mills does not seem available any
price, and higher pay, executives claim.
does not have tendency to increase
efficiency proportionately.
Street Car Men to Arbitrate.
Arbitration of the demands of the
Cleveland Railway Company's motor
men and conductors, which IS now be-
! ing arranged. may have a decided ef-
| feet on the scale of wages to public
utility and street railroad employees
| throughout the country. The present
| Cleveland scale is 50.53 and 5J cents
an hour and the men are asking ad-
vances to So. 6S ana 20 cents, the lat
| ter figure applying To all men who
! have been in the service of the COM
pany for one year or longer.
! Hope was expressed today by rep
lresentatives Of both the employees and
=
| ton mills that strike over the ques-
tion of wages would be avoided as
result of a conference Friday.
| Alarm Over Labor Shortage.
| SAN FRANCISCO, March 20 (Spe-
! ciaD a shortage of labor.
! employers in a number of industries
are today placing orders for help
| with the employment bureaus. De-
mand is for all kinds of workers.
! from laborerS TO secretaries. The
! state labor board reported today that
| the jobs opened March so far have
| been % per cent in excess of the cor
| responding period last year.
Imports at Boston Heavy.
! BOSTON. March 20 Especially I'm
| ports a the port of Boston are boom
| ing. There are now SiXty-fiye vessels
| en- route here with cargoes valued at
\ 800, 900 900. Current customs collec-
4 tfonS are running at the annual rate
| of SS0.000,0O0, compared with sum
| just above $7,000,000 in 1917.
Farmers Appeal for Help.
| BISMARCK, y. D., March 20 (Spe-
! ciaD.-Farmers in western North Da-
/ kota are appealing for relief from Ia
bor shortage which is handicappjng
| their spring work. They expect some
relief with cessation of winter log
ging operations. but anticipate that
later industrial expansion will results
| in drawing many farm workers to
! the cities.
Copyright. 1921