66 MISSOURI AGRICULTURAL REPORT. 



August. — The month of August averaged somewhat cooler than 

 usual in the central and northern portions of the State, but in the south- 

 ern sections the mean temperature was practically normal. The mean 

 temperature of the month for the State was 75.0 degrees, 1,2 degrees 

 below the normal. The highest local monthly mean, 80.3 degrees, oc- 

 curred at Joplin, and the lowest, 71.2 degrees, at Monroe City. The 

 highest temperature recorded was 103 degrees, at Marble Hill on the 3d, 

 and the lowest, 47 degrees, at Ironton and Potosi on the 7th, and Mary- 

 ville, Bethany, Kidder, and Sublett on the nth. The average number 

 of days with maximum temperature above 90 degrees ranged from 7 in 

 the northwest section to 14 in the southwest, the average for the State 

 being 9. The precipitation exceeded the normal over practically the 

 entire State and in portions of the central and western sections was re- 

 markably heavy, the total fall ranging from 8 to over 11 inches. In 

 portions of the southeast section drouth conditions prevailed until the 

 26th, but on the 26th and 27th that section was visited by heavy showers. 

 the rainfall in some localities being sufficiently heavy to cause damaging 

 floods. The average precipitation for the State was 6.16 inches, or 

 3.01 inches above the normal. The greatest local monthly fall was 11.49 

 inches, at Arthur, and the least, .96 inch, at Galena. Except in a few 

 districts where the rainfall was excessive, threshing progressed favorablv 

 until the last two weeks of the month, when it was considerably delayed 

 in the northern and western sections by heavy and continued rains. Ex- 

 cellent yields were generally reported but much of the grain was dam- 

 aged to a greater or less extent by the wet weather. In a number of the 

 extreme southern counties corn and cotton were considerably injured 

 by drouth, and late corn also suffered from lack of moisture in a few of 

 the northwestern counties, but as a rule the corn crop continued in excel- 

 lent condition. The ripening of early corn was somewhat retarded by 

 cool, showery weather during the last two weeks of the month, but the 

 bulk of the crop was out of danger from frost by the 30th, and cutting 

 was in progress. In a few counties corn was badly broken down by 

 high winds. Cotton improved after the rains of the 25-26th and pick- 

 ing was begun before the close of the month. Pastures became quite 

 short in a few of the southeastern counties but were revived by the rains 

 during the last decade ; elsewhere they continued in. excellent condition. 

 Late forage crops made a heavy growth, and an exceptionally fine crop 

 of millet was harvested in the northern counties, though some was dam- 

 aged by the rains. Considerable timothy was threshed, with good 

 yields. The prairie hay crop in the southwestern counties was ex- 

 ceptionally heavy, but the weather was unfavorable for curing it. Late 

 potatoes did well, except in some of the southeastern counties, but the 



