Evening star., 1934-06-13
RAINS ELEVATE
MIDWEST MORALE
Spirit as Well as Crops Are
Helped in Sections of Min
nesota and Iowa.
BY ]. S. RUSSELL,
Farm Editor, Des Moines Register and
Tribune.


Tribune.
MASON CITY, Iowa, June 10
(N.A.N.A) Rains have come in time
to benefit crops in Southern Mime
scta and Northern Iowa, and this area
is now a veritable garden spot con-
traSted with Central Western Mime
scta, the Dakotas and other drought
stricken regions.
Corn in this portion of the belt
bears out the confidence held by Agri-
cultural Relief Administration officials
that the crop is to prove the ma1n-
stay of the Northwest, as well as OF the
corn belt, for live stock feed.
The crop is healthy color, is grow
ing and has responded remarkably to
the stimulus of moisture and favorable
growing weather-a welcome relief
from the sitting heat and prolonged
drought.
Morale Helped.
And here as elsewhere one of the
principal effects of the rains has been
that of raising morale and encourag
ing farmers to renew their efforts to
plant crops that will produce feed
even though not planted until well
into June.
Farmers now are busy in the fields
blowing and planting corn for fodder
and other crops for hay, forage and
pasture. They are cultivating the
growing corn and putting up hay.
although the latter crop is very short
The small grain is staging a re-
markable comeback and has responded
to the rain, but the April and May
drought cut down the yield Of oats
or wheat Many oat fields probably
will be cut for hay instead of being
harvested and threshed.
Oats yields will be poor, but the
crop will furnish much more feed
and in some fields grain suitable for
harvest and threshing-than seemed
possible week or 10 days ago.
The short pastures, which are re-
spending but slowly to the recent
rains, bear evidence of the fact that
live stock suffered greatly from the
drought. The grass is turning green
in many pastures, however, and later
cuttings of hay promise some improve
ment over the crop now being har-
vested
A noticeable result of the drought
has been a decrease in milk produc-
ton. With pastures as they are and
feed so scarce and high-priced, Bessie
isn't getting regular rations and has
failed to perform her usual stint at
the milk pail.
Grasshoppers Still Threaten.
In the Northwest, crops were too
badly damaged 10 get much benefit
from the rains. In the territory to
the west of this section. grasshoppers
still hold a threat of crop damage in
spite of thinning of their ranks by
rain and the cooperative effort on the
part of the Government and the farm
ers to poison the pests. To the south
east lies a region in which myriadS of
tiny chinch bugs threaten crops.
1t is too early to make predictions
as to crops, but at any rate this
region has prospects for almost a
normal corn crop. some small grain,
fair feed crops and pasture later in
the season with additional timely
moisture. The picture may change as
the season progresses. but Just now it
is bright as compared with that in
the Northwest.
The situation may be summed up in
the remark of a Southern Minnesota
farmer: well. 1t amt too good yet,
but it's a lot better than we thought
it would be-"
(Copyright 1884. by the North American
Newspaper Alliance. 1nc.)