A Welcome Storm Saves the Harvest
After weeks of drought threatening the region's crops, a heavy storm brings relief to local farmers.
A dry spell of several weeks' duration had knocked the moisture out of everything but the river, and the agriculturist had put on his best specs and watched the heavens diligently for the thinnest kind of threat of rain for several weeks, when the clerk of the weather kindly sent a reviving storm along last Sunday afternoon. The heavens at the time looked very billious, the lightning played leap-frog along the front of the inky clouds, and peals of thunder rattled in tones of exultation as they followed close behind the fury of the wind. The rain let go and came down copiously, saturating the earth to the requisite depth. The Falls only caught the extreme western edge of the storm, and a much heavier rain must have been experienced to the north and east of this place. The value of the rain to the farmer is beyond computation, as vegetation was weakening under the effects of the drouth and much anxiety was felt. It insures to this section abundant crops, that will make times better during the fall and winter months.
“The value of the rain to the farmer is beyond computation, as vegetation was weakening under the effects of the drouth.”
The anxiety over weather and its impact on the local economy is a timeless theme in the Inland Northwest. While modern irrigation and technology have changed the stakes, the reliance on the climate for regional prosperity remains a shared concern.
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