680 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



Bulletin No. 22, September 7, 1920 — 



For the fourth consecutive week temperatures have averaged below 

 normal. Rain fell in all portions of the State during the week exceeding 

 an inch over a belt extending from the south-central district northward 

 over portions of the north-central and northeast districts. In some of the 

 south-central counties nearly four inches occurred. Sunshine was deficient. 



Corn has made slow progress. In the south-central and southeastern 

 districts the rain aided the development of the late-planted corn, but early 

 corn, which in some sections had begun to show signs of drying and ma- 

 turing, was made green again. Denting is general in the earlier fields of 

 the northern half of the State, yet the bulk of the crop is only in the hard 

 dough stage and much late corn is still in the milk. A little will be ready 

 for the silo in 10 days to two weeks. The prostrate and tangled condition 

 of the crop in many west and north-central counties will make the use 

 of corn binders nearly impossible. 



Only abnormally warm and dry weather during the next 30 days can 

 save the corn crop from serious frost damage. Reports received from 

 nearly 500 township correspondents showed that with normal weather 

 from September 1st to September 20th only 42 per cent of the crop would 

 be safe from frost on that date, and to September 30th, 67 per cent. If 

 frost holds off till October 15th, 87 per cent will be safe, and if it holds off 

 till October 31st, 96 per cent will be safe. As the average date of killing 

 frost is October 10th and another cool week has farther retarded the de- 

 velopment since the above estimates were made by our correspondents, it 

 now seems fairly certain that 30 to 40 per cent of this year's great and 

 otherwise promising crop will be frosted and soft. 



Pastures, potatoes, truck crops and new seedings of grasses and clover 

 were greatly benefited by the rains. Commercial tomatoes and sweet corn 

 are turning out well. Canning has been in full progress for more than two 

 weeks. 



Fall plowing and preparation for winter wheat seeding made good 

 progress, except where delayed by frequent and heavy rains, or in some 

 localities in the southeast portion of the State where the soil is too dry 

 from lack of rain. 



At the close of August, 91 per cent of the thrashing had been done, 

 which is about 20 per cent more than normal and the greatest in the last 

 10 years. 



The acreage of timothy cut for seed this year is about 250,000, and the 

 yield is good, though exact figures are not yet available. 



Bulletin No. 23, September 14, 1920 — 



Cool weather at the beginning of the week was followed by four days of 

 warm, sunshiny weather that brought the mean temperature of the week 

 up to 71 degrees, which is 4 degrees above normal and corresponds to the 

 usual temperatures of the last week in August. Maximum temperatures 

 around 90 were general on the 11th. Rainfall generally exceeded an inch, 

 except in the east one-fourth of the State, where it was mostly light, and 

 in some of the west-central and northwest counties, where there was none. 



Corn was at about the stage of development usually expected on August 

 25th when the warm weather came and started it to advancing more rap- 

 idly. The bulk of the crop is now denting, but the heavy rains will have a 

 tendency to prolong its vegetative activity and retard maturity. The earli- 

 est planted corn is being cut for silage in some localities, though much diffi- 

 culty is being experienced in the use of corn-cutting machinery because of 

 the tangled condition of the stalks in large areas and the wet soil. Early 

 corn is now far enough advanced to gather for seed and without delay a 

 supply of this corn should be selected and given proper care. 



