Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-06-06
RENEWED FLOODS
EV|CT REFUGEES
Crops Jeopardized-South-
east Missouri Asks Hoover
for Food Now.
BY REX COLLIER.


LITTLE ROCK, Ark, June 6.-It
looks as though the land of cotton
this year is doomed to become the
land of corn and sweet potatoes, or
possibly the land of no crops at all.
An unkind fate, using as it's instru-
ment the fiood.crazy Mississippi, is
striking another stunning blow at Mis-
souri, and Arkansas to undo much of
the planting done since recession of
the April waters and make uncertain
the production of any profitable crops
this season.
New floods in southeast Missouri
have swept within the last 36 hours
over large areas of muddy land plant
ed in cotton and corn, have driven
hundreds of refugees from their re-
Gently reoccupied homes and have
necessitated postponement indefinitely
of active reconstruction work, Secre-
tary Hoover has been advised.
Picture of Despair.
Mr.. Hoover and Vice Chairman
Fieser of the Red, Cross arrived here
this morning from st. Louis to aScer-
tain conditions with regards to- relief
and reconstruction in Arkansas. They
arrived with dark picture of despair
ana renewed desoiation in Missouri
imprinted on their minds.
The second floods have driven. the
barefooted. or booted farmers from
thousands of acres of newly planted
fields in several Missouri counties and
have engulfed the sprouting cotton
plantations and corn fields under from
two to six feet Of water for the Sec
ond time this Spring, Mr.. Hoover was
informed yesterday evening at a con-
ference in St. Louis with relief off,
cials from Perry, Cape Girardeau,
Scott, New Madrid, Stoddard, Duncan,
Penobscot and Mississippi counties.
Crops Are Jeopardized.
This disheartening development
makes dubious the possibility of rails
ing a cotton crop this year in the
sections affected, due to the long grow
ing season required for this product,
and prolongation Of the flood may i'm
peril also the shorter crops Of corn,
Sudan grass, sweet pota toes, beans,
etc. Arkansas has about given up
hope Of raising any cotton, Mr.. Hoover
was told today.
What are you going to do if you
can't raise anything at alp Secre-
tary Hoover asked one Of the Mis-
souri, county representatives. f
"I honestly don't know" he re-
piled, gravely. These people have
no money and no credit. They have
lost their furniture and their farm
machinery and stock. The new flood
has presented another urgent relief
problem in the way Of food and hous-
ing. If they are unable to plant
their lands this Summer, I don't know
what they will do. But they'll pull
through, somehow, I suppose. They
always have before"
Relief Is Begun.
Secretary Hoover and Mr.. Ffeser
both assured the Missouri farmers
that their emergency needs will be
taken care Of by the Red Cross and
plans were set IN foot for organizing
in that state a lar; loan organiza-
ton similar to those already function
ing in Arkansas, Mississippi and
Louisiana.
The conferences which the Secre-
tary has had so far on this special re-
construction mission, just begun, have
indicated that his trip may be. turned
into one Of revived relief instead of
rehabilitation. He has planned to
make a comprehensive survey of the
whole area flooded in April and May
for the sole purpose Of completing
plans for replanting the farms anI re-
building the houses, but it may now
develop that this program is a little
premature.
In Missouri the counties hardest hit
by both the old and new floods are
New Madrid, Mississippi, Duncan and
Penobscott. In New Madrid County
about half Of the 100000 acres from
which the previous waters had about
receded have been plunged beneath
another blanket Of water several feet
deep, and the level is rising every day.
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