Evening star., 1945-07-20
More Rain Due
Today;;Farmers
Survey Damage
Is to 500 of Wheat
In Montgomery Is
Injured by Wetness

Maryls nd and Virginia farmers
watched the skies with concern
today as they took stock of crops
damaged by six days of rains.
The weatherman, reporting that
so far this month rainfall already
is 2.23 inches more than normal for
the whole month of July, held out
little hope that the rains are over.
The forecaster predicted that skies
would be partly cloudy today, bring
ing showers this afternoon. The
temperatures, he said, would be in
the 80s.
The forecaster reported that $50
inches of rain have fallen since
Saturday, bringing the total for the
month to 6.94 inches, only 1853
inches under the record of 1858
inches recorded in July, 1886. Nor
NAL for the month is All inches.
In Virginia, the Richmond Weather
Bureau reported the wettest month
in the history of the State, topping
July, 1889, when 1401 inches of rain
fell. The bureau reported that
1921 inches already have fallen,
with spasmodic showers predicted
for today.
Humidity at 100 Per Cent.
Maryland trailed Virginia in the
amount of rainfall recorded. The
Weather Bureau at Baltimore re-
ported last night that approximately
449 inches of rain had fallen in that
area since Saturday, and on the
Eastern Shore the sun was seen
during the afternoon for the first
time In days.
The Weather Bureau reported
that relative humidity early this
morning was 100 per cent, meaning
that the air carried all the water
possible without precipitation. Later,
the humidity dropped to approx
mately 81 per cent.
In the nearby Maryland and Vir-
ginia Counties farmers reported
considerable damage to grain crops,
while Eastern Shore truck growers
said the rains had caused heavy
damage to the s2,000,0 900 tomato
crop. Elsewhere in the two States,
the rains were reported as benefi-
cial TO corn, tobacco and late hay
crops.
Grain Damage. Reported.
o. w. Anderson, Montgomery
County agriculture agent, said that
25 to so per cent of the wheat
standing in shocks in the fields
awaiting threshing, had sprouted be-
cause of the damp weather, and that
approximately 100 per cent of the
barley crop was ruined.
In Fairfax County, Va, L. S
Greene, county agent. said some
damage had resulted to wheat there
but added that this could not be es.
/ timated at the present time
! Mr.. Greene pointed out that the
ripeness of the grain when it wa,
cut, the way it was shocked anG
other conditions would determine
the amount of damage. He said
poorly shocked grain would be dam
taged more than wheat shocks pro-
itected by adequate covering.
The county agents explained
that when wheat stands wet in the
shocks the grains sprout, spelling
the wheat for milling purposes
Sprouted wheat, however, can be
used as stock feed.
! Reuefit Seen from, Rain
! L. M Walker, jr., Virginia CON-
missioner of agriculture. said there
is danger of heavy fungus growth
in apple and peach crops because
of the heavy moisture. He believed
the benefit to pasture lands, corr
and tobacco outweighed the damage
TO other crops, however.
Mr.. Walker said that fall hay
especially will be benefited by the
heavy rains. He pointed out thai
for the last two seasons the hay
crops have been light because of ex.
cessively dry weather. Two year:
ago hay was imported from Canada
and Western States as an emergency
measure.
Roads Clear.
Meanwhile, Richmond police re-
ported that third victim was re-
covered from bus that crashed
through bridge Wednesday anc
was carried 800 feet down ragins
Gillies Greek in the city. The thirc
victim was identified as Pfc. JOSEPH
A. Bujowski, 81. of Jersey City.
3-month-old child and anothel
soldier also were killed in the acci
dent.
? AS the rains dwindled to an occa.
sional shower last night, Virginis
and Maryland road officials reported
that waters had receded from high,
ways that had been inundated dur,
ing the heavy downpour.
Trains approaching Washington
from the South, delayed yesterda,
by track washouts, were again OF
schedule, officials said.