Evening star., 1952-11-08
Record Drought
WithersCrops,
Stops Hunters
Wheat und Pusturoqe
Suffer, Fire Danger
Closes Skyline Drive

as prolonged drought dCCOIlpd-
MED by raging forest fires piled
up a widespread loss throughout
the country.
The Virginia State Game Com
mission issued orders last night
against hunting in the States
woodlands until the current forest
fire menace has ended. It said
it would lift its ban "as soon as
weather conditions warrant"
There is a good chance of rain
in this area tomorrow or Mon
day. but the Weather Bureau said
it won't be heavy enough to re-
duce the forest fire hazard or end
the long dry spell.
Winter crops and pasture lands
in this alea and in many other
parts of the country have been
damaged to the extent of millionsI
of dollars as a result of the driest
October ir the United Statesi
since the Weather Bureau started
ICCO1 0S Ill 4Ooos
Skyline Drive Closed.
Highlights of the conditions
brought about by the unusually
dry fall weather and the threat of
forest fires included:
l. The National Park Service
ordered closed the Skyline drive
running from Front Royal. Va,
through the Shenandoah Park toI
lessen the menace of forest fires.
2. Winter wheat in the Wash
ington area, it was reported, was
planted in dry, dusty soil and very
little of it has sprouted, although
early paintings of barley and win
ter wheat got a good start due
to September showers. While the
dry weather helped in the harvest
of good corn crops, pastures are
expected to be exhausted almost
a month earlier than usual if the
dry season continues and next
summers grasses will be damaged.
3. Aluminium industry repre-
sentatives urged the Government
to withdraw additional aluminium
from the defense Stockpile to make
up for production shortage at
tributed to a lack of power in the
Tennessee Valley and the Far
Northwest.
Georgia Emergency Declared.
4. The South counted its
drought costs in the millions of
dollars in crop and pasture losses
and in destruction of valuable
tllnberlandS. In Georgia. for ex-
ample, Gov. Herman Talmadge de-
ciared an emergency in the north
ern part of the State and called
out national guardsmen to help
forest rangers and volunteers fight
the spreading fires.
The Virginia Game Commits
sion's order became effective at S
pm. yesterday. 1t includes in
definite postponement of the regu-
lar hunting season which would
start November II west of the Blue
Ridge mountains and three days
later in other parts of the State.
The action was described as
necessary due to the extreme fire
hazard" The three week = old
rash of forest fires has burned
over at least $4,000 acres of wood
lands and timberlands. with the
heaviest damage in the south
western part of the State.
The commission order noted
that the open season on water
fowl hunting is not affected by
the restriction, since Federal
regulations control this season.
Could Be Lifted.
"If rain comes before the regu-
lar dates for the open season on
resident game birds or animals,
the commission will forthwith lift
the ban on the prohibition against
hunting" 1. T. Quinn, commits
sion executive secretary, said.
The commission agreed to open
either the eastern or western Sec
ton of the State to hunting sep
arately if one section got rain
before the other.
Commission members said they
favored adding on days at the
end of the hunting season in the
same number that might be lost
by enforcement of the ban. Any
extension will be covered in a
proclamation ending the ban.
Virginia was the 18th State to
impose a mo hunting" ban. 9th
ers include West Virginia, Geor-
gia. Oklahoma. Rhode Island,
Missouri, Kentucky, Kansas. Ar
kansas, Alabama and Mississippi.
Rainfall in the District in Octo-
ber totaled &c of an inch-23 per
cent of normal.
The national drought has ag-
gravated damage that farmlanda
(coo nD0TTC9T poue A.2N