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Parched pastures and curling corn give bleak testimony of the countless days which turn into endless weeks with soaring temperatures and little or no rain in Rappahannock County and other areas. The drought situation here has become critical. Only .70 of an inch of rainfall has been measured during July at the official station in Amissville, says Miss Lucille Riley, who checks the precipitation in that area. In the Washington, Va. weather station, Miss Ruby Jenkins reports .56 of an inch total for July. The June total at Washington was 1.39. Temperatures have soared from the 90’s into the low 100’s for weeks and much of the time were accompanied by extreme humidity. Streams are almost dry so the cattle suffer from the shortage of water as well as pasture. Some farmers have culled their herds extensively, selling off the lesser cattle and keeping only top grade animals in the hope of better conditions ahead. Also hay prices are advancing. The stunted stalks of corn wave a wan greeting with their curling blades from the contours or corn fields. According to County Agent, W. H. Lyne, the corn crop is already damaged fiftypercentandeven soaking rains in the next few days cannot remedy this damage.
Though the critical period! for spraying fruit trees is i past, the water shortage pre-’ vents the continuation of suchj and orchardists find young trees dying and fruit is not attaining any size. Added to the dry weather, in the Castleton and Amissville areas,"everything is being plagued by innumerable grasshoppers, which are stripping vegetation. Castleton was pestered with grasshoppers last season and they have migrated to the Amissville area. .
90.5%