THE GENESEE FARMER. 



223 



Violent storms and tornadoes, or heavy thunder show- 

 ers, hap^e distinguished this half-month. On the 2d at St. 

 Louis, and also in Alton, 111., was a violent storm. On the 

 3d, and farther north in Lynn Co., Iowa, aud east to Co- 

 manche on the Mississippi, and across Illinois north of 

 the Chicago and over Lake Michigan into that State, was 

 a terrific stsrm of wind, hail, rain, and lightning. The 

 cloud extended downward to the earth in probocis-like 

 form, with sweeping desolation of habitations, crops, fen- 

 ces, and great loss of life. In three minutes the ruin was 

 effected. Others less desolating have occurred in various 

 parts of the land. For a month the elements have seemed 

 to be in great commotion in some localities, while in 

 other have been benignant smiles and prosperous days. 



The Weather and the Crops. — We are indebted to 

 several of our correspondents in different parts of the 

 country for notes on the weather and the crops. We have 

 room only for a few extracts : 



E. F. Burrows, Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin, under 

 date of June 11th, says : " We have been visited with 

 abundant showers during the past three or four weeks, 

 and crops, which were then suffering for want of rain, 

 now promise an abundant harvest. Some of the showers 

 were accompanied with hail, which did some damage — 

 Die house lost over 100 panes of glass. Some of the hail 

 stones measured 1| inches in diameter. 



" The cut-worm is troublesome in some parts of the coun- 

 :ry— even cutting down fields of wheat! One man, near 

 [his village, has had to re-sow three acres with other 

 jrain, the worms having destroyed almost every stalk of 

 rt'heat. 



'• lu other fields they work in spots, sometimes cutting 

 iown strips, a few feet wide and several rods in length, 

 vhere it did not come up as soon as the rest, and was 

 more tender. As the stalk grows older and tougher, they 

 -.liuib up and work on the leaves." 



A. MASo>f, of Laporte, Indiana, says: "The fly is eat- 

 ug up nearly all our wheat in this county, according to 

 fhat I see, and we shall not have half a crop. I never 

 aw such wholesale havoc in my life. My wheat looked 

 lice in the spring, but to see the change now is very dis- 

 ouraging. One of my neighbors has 40 acres ; he says 

 18 would take two dollars for it. Another has between 

 wo and three hundred acres ; he says it will hardly pay 

 or cutting. So I hope some one will find out some plan 

 destroy or get round the fly some way. The frost has 

 :illed most of the apples and cherries here. No peaches 



speak of." 



[We do not know what is meant by the " fly." Is it the 

 hinch-bug ? — Eds.] 



J. H. H., of Augusta Co., Va., says: "The wheat crop 

 a Virginia is very unpromising. The joint-worm, fly, 

 nd the frost, have made the bright prospects of many 

 irmers to wither. There are hundreds of acres of wheat 



1 this county that are not worth reaping. And the frost 

 f April destroyed the fruit totally in some sections of the 

 ountry. 



The Detroit Tribune says : " The accounts respecting 

 he crops are generally very favorable, but there are, un- 

 ortunately, some exceptions. Between Dayton and Kal- 



amazoo, a formidable enemy has made its appearance in 

 the shape of a kind of maggot; and a large number, of 

 fields are said to be almost entirely devastated. The hay 

 crop will be enormous." 



The Maysville (Ky.) Eagle says : " The wheat harvest 

 of Kentucky will produce a lighter yield than has been 

 for years. The wheat in that part of the State will not 

 supply more than is required by the farmers, and home 

 demand." 



Henderson, A'l/.—G. W. Priest, in the Ohio Farmer, 

 says: "The wheat crop is very short — not more than 

 one-third average — on account of winter-killing. Small 

 crop of oats sown, but is promising." 



Crops in Fairfield Co., Ohio.— 3. 0. Sain, in the Ohio 

 Farmer, says : " The weevil [midge,] has made its ap- 

 pearance in this section, in large numbers. Smooth 

 wheat, which appears to have stood the winter freeze bet- 

 ter than the Mediterranean, is literally 'alive' with them. 

 A good crop in this country is getting to be considered 

 quite rare. Oats aud rye look well. There is a good 

 prospect for a large crop of apples and all small fruits." 



Thakks— Thanks— Thanks.— Our friends have already 

 sent us about fifteen hundred new subscribers to the 

 half-volume of the Genesee Farmer, commencing with this 

 number. We thank them most sincerely. This encour- 

 aging appreciation of our efforts to furnish a cheap and 

 valuable monthly journal, devoted exclusively to the in- 

 terests of agriculture and horticulture, is most grateful 

 to our feelings. Our liberal ofier of Cash Prizes is de- 

 signed to repay, as far as possible, all who labor to increase 

 the circulation of the paper ; but few of our friends seem 

 to compete fcr them. We seldom receive more than five 

 subscribers in a club. In this case we send a Bural An- 

 nual to the person making up the club. If any have not 

 received it, through inadvertance on our part, we will 

 cheerfully forward it on being notified of the fact. Those 

 who have sent five subscribers and one dollar, can have 

 three more for fifty cents (eight for $1.50), and any greater 

 number at our lowest club rates — 18| cents each. 



Don't Forget the Premiums. — Few of our friends are 

 taking any notice of our Cash Prizes for those who get 

 up clubs to the current half- volume of the Genesee Farmer. 

 The premiums are the same in number and amount as 

 last year. To show about how large — or rather how small 

 — a club will probably be necessary to take one of these 

 Cash Prizes, we may state that last year a club of 22 sub- 

 scribers to the half-volume took a prize of $1 ; 23 a prize 

 of $2 ;. 24, $3 ; 25, $4 ; 27, $5 ; 28, $6 ; 29, %1 ; 30, $8 ; 

 32, $9; 36, $10, etc. Are there any of our subscribers who 

 can not take one of the prizes ? 



The Rural Annual and Horticultural Directory. — 

 We have just struck off another edition of three thousand 

 copies of this work for 1860. Not a reader of the Farmer 

 should be without this work. It will be sent prepaid by 

 mail to any address for 25 cents. 



The Eural Annual has been published for five years — 

 1856-7-8-9 and '60. The whole five Tolumes will be sent 

 prepaid by mail for |1.00. 



