TWENTIETH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART VIII 723 



only 40 per cent of the corn had been planted, and by the 31st 95 per cent. 

 At the close of the month 80 per cent of the corn showed rows, and culti- 

 vation was making good progress in the drier counties. The cold, cloudy, 

 rainy weather of the first week in May prevented proper pollination of 

 cherries and plums and greatly reduced the crop. Pastures, clover, tim- 

 othy and alfalfa were in the best condition for several years, except where 

 injured beyond recovery by drouth and grasshoppers in the southwest 

 portion of the State last season. 



Warm, humid weather, June 9-26, caught both winter and spring 

 wheat at a very critical stage and caused an untold amount of damage. 

 Prior to this period winter wheat promised an unprecedented yield, but 

 this unfavorable period reduced the average yield to 17.4 bushels, per- 

 haps half what it might have been. This is 3.2 bushels below the a,verage 

 of the last 10 years and the lowest yield in that period, but by no means 

 the lowest of record and would not have been considered so disappoint- 

 ing if earlier indications had not raised high hopes. Spring wheat suf- 

 fered worst, being not only blighted and dried up but also being seriously 

 attacked by "scab" and other plant diseases. The greatest damage was 

 in northwest Iowa where a large acreage was not cut, except to remove 

 the straw so that the tame grass for which it had been a nurse crop, 

 might have a chance to grow. Much of the spring wheat was unfit for 

 milling and was used for chicken feed. The average yield, 9.5 bushels is, 

 with one exception, the lowest in 30 years. In 1904 the average yield was 

 9.1 bushels. Oats, though getting a bad start in the spring, yielded 34.6 

 bushels, or only 2 bushels less than the 10-year average. The weather was 

 ideal for harvesting. 



Corn made wonderful progress after June 8. All but the late planted 

 was laid by early in July. Dry, hot weather toward the close of July 

 caused the corn to fire in the southwest counties and on sandy uplands in 

 other portions of the State, but the handsome yields reported at the close 

 of the season indicate that the abundant moisture stored in the subsoil 

 the previous winter and spring must have come to the aid of the corn 

 in time of need. 



Haying came on early but was generally neglected for corn cultivation. 

 The quality of the hay crop was thus somewhat reduced and the second 

 crop of clover from which seed is ordinarily expected, gave disappoint- 

 ing yields, due to its late start and the dry weather of the latter part 

 of July. 



While the rainfall of August was somewhat deficient, it was pi'etty 

 well distributed as to frequency and area and corn improved steadily in 

 condition so that on September 1, the percentage condition was 96 which 

 has not been equalled but once. Drouth prevailed in the central and 

 southern portions of the State from August 14 to September 17, but corn 

 seemed to draw on a reserve supply of moisture, though the less deeply 

 rooted garden truck suffered seriously. Corn matured and dried rapidly 

 during September till heavy rains and cooler weather occurred toward 

 the close of the month. Light to heavy frosts with temperatures near 

 freezing occurred in the northwest counties September 23-25, but ' no 

 damage was reported. 



