371 



in this vicinity, wbicli gives a much finer leaf thau tlie old Connecticut seed, and is 

 more forward, some pieces being already topped and of heavy growth. 



GRArE-CROPS. — Monroe, 7r. la. — A few small vineyards promise immense crops of 

 grapes ; at least 5,000 pounds per acre. 



Salt Lake, L7a/t.— Grapes mildew before ripening; no remedy found. It is estimated, 

 that 70 per cent, of the crop will bo thus ruined. 



New London, Cohh.— Grape-vines are loaded with fruit, and the indications are that 

 the yield will be nearly as large again as ever before. 



'Dxaix-VB.ODVCTS.— Orleans, Vt.—Ouv specialty is butter-making. Yield up to average 

 with fair prices— 25 to 30 cents per pound. 



Washington, K. T.— Dairying unusually prosperous and on the increase. 



Fruit-culture.— /'«7rt.s/a, Z?/.— Bitter-rot alarmingly on the increase. There is good 

 reason to believe that it spreads from tree to tree, as it certainly increases most rap- 

 idly in the vicinity of kinils first aiiected by it. A still more fatal malady is a form 

 of blight known as root-rot, which destroys a largo percentage of our trees, giving no 

 outward sign until the trees are ready to be pushed over with a slight push. 



Average yield ov wool. — San(jamon, III. — Five different flocks yielded as follows : 

 No. 1, 111 head, 420 pounds; No. 2, 35 head, 150 pounds; No. 3, 22 head of high grade 

 Cotswold yearlings, 17G pounds ; No. 4, 110 head of common sheep, (corn-fed during 

 the winter,) (JGO pounds; No. 5, 74 head good merinos, 592 pounds. Total, 347 sheep, 

 yielding 1,993 pounds of wool, and averaging 5.75 pounds per head. The average of 

 the county is about 5 pounds. 



Heavy hail-storms.— 77«)'/, Ga.—A. remarkable hail-storm passed over a portion of 

 this county August 14, covering a streak about three miles wide and fifteen or twenty 

 miles long. In some places it completely striiiped all vegetation of fruit and foliago. 

 The hail lay on the ground three inches deep. 



Grant, Orerj. — The most destructible rain and hail storm ever witnessed in this 

 county occurred on the 9th instant. A dark cloud appeared in the southwest, wiiile at 

 the same time a heavy storm seemed approaching from the northeast. Carried by two 

 opposite currents of air, they drifted together immediately over a portion of the settle- 

 ments. Considerable wheat and barley was ready for the sickle, and whore this was 

 the case the grain was as completely threshed as if passed through a thresher. Only 

 four or live farms received the full force of the hail-storm, but these sufibrcd severely. 

 Apples, plums, and pears were almost entirely ruined ; even the new fruit-buds form- 

 ing were materially injured. Had the hail-storm been general throughout the valley, 

 not enough grain 'would have been left for seed and bread. As it is, there will be 

 quite a large surplus. 



Excessive rain-fall. — Chowan, N. C. — liained six hours July 29, filling wash-tubs 

 a foot deep. 



Morgan, Ohio. — July very hot and dry till tho 11th, when it rained 1.2 inches ; 12th, 

 0.3 inches ; 21st, 0.5 inches ; 24th, 0.7 inches ; 26th, 0.8 inches, with a heavy storm ; 

 total, 3i inches. 



Washington, 111. — Six inches within twenty days. 



Lewis, N. Y. — From 8 p. m. August 1 to 9 a. m. August 2, 7.8 inches. 



Wasatch, Utah. — More rain than ever before. 



Summit, Utah. — Heavy and frequent rain-storms to an extent never before known, 

 causing heavy floods and much damage to hay. 



l)cs Moines, Iowa. — Drought broken by a rain-fall of 12 inches. 



Prices of produce. — Macon, J II. — Wheat, 85 cents to $1.05; corn, 55; oats, 35: live 

 hogs, !|G per cental. 



Agricultural prosperity. — 'Crawford, Pa. — No season has been so prosperous for 

 twenty years. 



Van Buren, Iowa. — I am running a small farm of 40 acres, with 20 under cultivation 

 in fruit, nursery, vegetables, and some grain. My income varies from )|1,500 to .^2,000 

 per annum. 



Kye-culture. — Osage, Kans. — The white ryo sent me by the Department last fall 

 has produced a splendid crop of fine, well-filled grain, ripening ten days earlier than 

 the black rye, sown beside it the same day. 



Dickson, Tenn. — A neighbor raised '.'A bushels of winter rye from 4 quarts received 

 from the Department, although tho chickens had destroyed at least one-fourth of tho 

 sowing. 



Drought.— 77c»of7, Tex.— The Brazos Eiver in hundreds of places is as dry as tho public 

 road. The Palaxy Creek at this point is still running. Wild animals are coming long 

 distances for water, and hogs by hundreds are seeking the Palaxy. Tho oldest citizens 

 have never seen such a drought. Thousands of trees are dead, or tlieir leaves aro as 

 dead as ordinarily in the month of December. 



Independence, Ark. — Tlie drought which had begun to affect crops in July continued 

 till August 20. This was attended with a degree of heat nevei' before experienced. 

 With this heat there was an almost constant wind coming in gusts and heated so as to 

 raise the thermometer to lOG" and sometimes to 110^ in the shade. 



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