Evening star., 1934-08-26
RAINS AID CROPS
IN DROUGHT AREAS
Value to Live Stock in Okla.
homa Placed at $25, ,OO0,-
600 by One Official.
ny the Associated Press.

ny the Associated Press.
KANSAS CITY, August 25.-Bright
spots broke through the drought this
week.
Copious rains succored millions OF
acres of parched farmlands in the
Southwest. North winds broke the
record-vaulting heat wave, and sun
less skies helped preserve the mois-
ture that had fallen.
Optimistic harvest reports came
from States outside the actual drought
area and from favored sections OF
some of the States hardest hit to
support the Department Of Agriculture
prediction that there will be plenty
Of food"
In Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas
rains of as much as five inches turned
pastures green under the hoofs of i'm
poverished cattle. One authority
placed the rains value to live stock
at $25, 900 900 in Oklahoma alone. En-
couraged everywhere, farmers set
about the task of salvage with resur-
rected hope-determined to make the
most of a catastrophe.
Even ThistIes Gathered.
With seed donated by the Govern
ment, Oklahoma and Texas farmers
prepared to plant wheat and turnips
to provide feed for live stock. In
Kansas-the State that under favor
able growing conditions supplies a
fourth of the Nations wheat crop
farmers gathered corn stalks and
straw, slowing them away in trench
silos against the Winter.
Even the Russian thistle, for years
considered a worthless weed, came
into use in Nebraska and Kansas.
Live stock men gathered the plant
for ensilage.
Likewise farmers in Arkansas and
Iowa were storing every available
scrap of fodder that escaped the
drought's soaring breath.
In Nebraska, Illinois and Wisconsin,
rye, millet or sudan grass was planted
for Fall pasturage In Arkansas rains
spurred farmers to plant late Summer
gardens.
Farmers have been cutting In
many places where they never cut
before-in lakebeds, sloughs, along
the roadsides," said DIR. Andrew Boss,
Minnesota agronomist. I'm fact,
they're cutting anything green that
can be cured"
Corn Rationed to Live Stock.
Corn under Government seal was
3ncribbed in Southern Iowa and ra-
toned to live stock.
There is no necessity that any
farmer suffer lack of feed or sus-
tenance for his live stock" Dudley
Doolittle, general agent for the Ninth
Federal Land Bank district at Wichita,
Kans, asserted. THAT is true no mat
ter how acute his financial condi-
tion may be-"
More of the 100000 distress cattle
purchased by the Government went
to market, helping ranchers conserve
feed. Experts said the movement
amounted virtually to gigantic
culling program-beneficial for years
to come.
Latest estimates of Montana's Win
ter wheat crop placed it above that
of 1888. Idaho's grain crop also was
forecast officially as several hundred
thousand bushels greater.
The same was true of potatoes.
Idaho's statistician placed the States
crop at 100000 bushels. Encourag-
ing potato reports came also from
the East.
Peach Crop Increased.
WaShington's peach production in
creased 1,050,0 1000 bushels over last sea-
son, and the western slope of Colorado
prepared to harvest one of the largest
crops in its history.
George L. knight, Montana State
horticulturist, said orchardists there
expected higher prices for their pro-
duction, which was almost normal.
Verne H. Church, Federal agricul-
tura Statistician for Michigan, SIM
ilarly expressed belief 'the individual
and combined agricultural income will
be quite bit higher this year."
Southern CALIFORNIA; crop outlook
indicated a larger orange crop for
next season than last. Lemon trees
bore abundantly, and Imperial Valley
grapefruit was reported unharmed as
yet by dry weather.