70 MISSOURI AGRICULTURAL REPORT. 



in a few localities, but as a rule they continued in excellent condition, and 

 there was an abundance of stock water in all sections. 



December. — Deceiiiber was a disagreeable month throughout the 

 State, the weather being generally cloudy with frequent rains and snows 

 and considerable sleet. The mean temperature for the State, 30.7 degrees, 

 was 2.3 degrees below the normal. The highest local monthly mean, 40.0 

 degrees, occurred at Caruthersville, and the lowest, 21.8 degrees, at 

 Maryville. The highest temperature recorded during the month was 

 68 degrees, at Mt. Vernon on the ist, and the lowest, 7 degrees below 

 zero, at Grant City on the 26th. The average number of days with mini- 

 mum temperature below 32 degrees was 24. The precipitation exceeded 

 the normal over a large portion of the State and was exceptionally heavy 

 over the extreme southeastern counties, where it ranged from 6 to over 

 9 inches. In portions of tlic northern, central and southwest sections, 

 however, there was a deficiency. The average precipitation for the State 

 was 2.91 inches, an excess of 0.68 inch. The greatest local monthly pre- 

 cipitation was 9.31 inches, at Caruthersville, and the least, .94 inch, at 

 Carrollton. The snowfall of the month was heaviest in the extreme 

 northern counties, where it ranged from 6 to over 12 inches, and over 

 a small area in the extreme southwestern portion of the State, where 

 from 6 to 10 inches fell on the 4th. Over a considerable portion of the 

 southeast section and in a few localities in the central and southwest sec- 

 tion there was less than i inch. The greatest local monthly fall was 

 12.8 inches, at Oregon. Up to the 24th wheat suffered little or no injury 

 from unfavorable weather conditions, but during the severe freezing 

 weather from the 25th to the 28th the ground was bare and in some 

 counties it was feared the crop had been injured. In most sections, how- 

 ever, it v.as reported in good condition at the close of the month. In 

 some of the southern counties early sown wheat was considerably injured 

 by rust and fly. Except during the last few days of the month, when 

 the ground was frozen, the weather was very unfavorable for corn 

 gathering, and a considerable portion of the crop remained in the fields 

 at the close of the month, especially in the central and northern sections. 

 In most sections fall pastures, where not over stocked, afforded good 

 grazing during the greater part of the month. In a few of the southern 

 counties fruit trees were broken down to some extent by an ice storm on 

 the I4-I5th. 



