TWENTIETH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART VIII 729 



Bulletin yo. 10, June 10, 1918 — 



Rains continued almost daily till Saturday and set in again Monday in the 

 western portion of the state. Temperatures averaged 4 degrees below nor- 

 mal, the greatest deficiency approximating 7 degrees in the west. Sun^ine 

 averaged 23 per cent below normal. 



Field work was practically suspended till toward the close of the week. 

 Corn fields in some localities are becoming grassy, particularly in the south 

 central district where very little cultivation has been possible. The crop 

 has not suffered seriously and a few days of dry, sunny weather would make 

 its condition excellent. 



Winter wheat is in bloom in the south and heading rapidly in the north. 

 It has lodged considerably on rich land. Rye also has lodged slightly. 

 Oats and spring wheat have made good growth, though the former shows 

 yellowness from poor culture due to heavy rains at seeding time. 



Alfalfa cutting has been delayed by the heavy rains and some that was 

 cut in the Southwest has been damaged as it lay on the ground. 



Bulletin No. 11, June 17, 1919 — 



High temperatures both day and night, resembling July conditions, ad- 

 vanced all crops rapidly. The temperature averaged 6 degrees above nor- 

 mal. Sunshine averaged 6 per cent below normal, ranging from 33 per 

 cent below at Sioux City to 15 per cent above at Keokuk. Though rains 

 were quite general up to the 12th, after that date they were mostly light 

 and local; and in most sections of the state corn cultivation proceeded 

 rapidly beginning Friday or Saturday. The progress of the crop is un- 

 usually variable, ranging from not yet planted on wet bottom lands in 

 some southern counties, to half cultivated the second time on uplands in 

 other sections. In Madison county corn is reported to be 8 to 10 inches 

 high, though the average for the state would be about half that height. 

 In general the fields are rather weedy, but a few days of warm, dry 

 weather would speedily correct this. The heavy rains drowned and eroded 

 corn and other fields quite seriously and the plants are yellow from ex- 

 cessive moisture in many sections. 



Winter wheat is nearly all headed out and generally in bloom; rye is 

 filling and turning; oats are beginning to head in all but the northern 

 cr>unties. Spring wheat is beginning to head as far north as the central 

 portion of the state. The winter grains have lodged considerably and there 

 are a number of reports of red rust on winter wheat in the Southern coun- 

 ties, but in general the condition of the crop is good. 



Alfalfa cutting has been delayed 10 days by wet weather. Red clover is 

 in bloom and ready to cut in the central and southern counties, and will be 

 cut as ^oon as there is favorable weather for hay making. This work is 

 crowding in upon the corn plowing unusually early. 



A large crop of fine strawberries is being gathered, though there is some 

 complaint of rotting, due to rains. Other small fruits promise well, but 

 tree fruits are dropping badly and cherries and plums are a failure in some 

 Sections. Grapes are blooming freely. Potatoes are blooming and pros- 

 pects are good, except a few reports of rotting where the soil is too wet. 



Bulletin No. 12, June 24, 1919 — 



Hot weather with numerous local showers and sunshine about normal 

 pushed corn rapidly, though unfavorable for oats. The temperature aver- 

 aged 8 degrees above normal and was above 90 generally on several after- 

 noons. In the unusual effort to clean up the weedy corn fields many horses 

 were overcome with heat and died. The earliest corn is knee high and some 

 will be laid by within a week. Fields are now generally clean except in a 

 few localities in the northern part of the state where cultivation has been 

 delayed by excessive rains. Some fields have been cultivated the third time. 

 The progress of the crop now averages up to normal for this date. Worms, 

 thought by some to be army worms, have been very destructive to corn, 

 grain and particularly alfalfa, in small areas In the southern half of the 



