TWENTY-FIRST ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART VIII 681 



Commercial sweet corn is yielding better than usual and the quality is 

 very g-ood. Canneries are putting up a generous pack. The stage of devel- 

 opment of the crop is indicated by the fact that at this time of the year fac- 

 tories are usually rejecting many hard ears, but this year practically no 

 hard ears are found, while some are being rejected as too milky. Ear worms 

 have thus far been less numerous than usual. A large pack of tomatoes is 

 also reported. 



Sugar beets have been greatly benefited by the rains, but they now need 

 warm, dry, sunshiny weather to promote ripening. The cool, wet weather 

 has been favorable for potatoes. 



Winter wheat seeding is far advanced in Adair and Madison counties 

 with about the normal acreage. The acreage in "Warren county, which is 

 the principal producing county, will be above normal. Fall plowing has 

 made rapid progress and is finished in some localities. 



The percentage condition of corn on September 1 was 90; potatoes, 90; 

 flax, 90; and pastures, 89. A year ago the conditions were: Corn, 96; pota- 

 toes, 60; flax, 83; and pastures, 90. It is probable that the corn crop will 

 rank third among the larger total productions in the State, but unfortu- 

 nately a large per cent is almost certain to be caught by frost. The pro- 

 duction of potatoes will be more than double that of last year. 



The Secretary of the State Horticultural Society reports the condition of 

 fruit on September 1 as follows: Fall apples, 68 per cent; winter apples, 61; 

 Americana plums, 47; pears, 64; grapes, 82; peaches, 27; Domestica plums, 

 50; Japanese plums, 47. 



Bulletin No. 24, September 21, 1920 — 



Corn advanced rapidly toward maturity as a result of the warm, dry and 

 sunshiny weather with strong breezes that prevailed in most sections of the 

 State during the past week. The average temperature, 72 degrees, is 9 

 degrees above normal and places it among the warmer weeks of the season. 

 Temperatures around 90 on the afternoon of the 14th were followed by 

 cooler in the middle of the week and warmer again at the close. Heavy to 

 excessive rain fell in southeast Iowa on the 14th-15th and moderate show- 

 ers in the northeast portion the night of the 19th. 



Approximately half of the corn crop is now safe from frost. Silo filling 

 and fodder cutting is general. Hogging down has begun in some locali- 

 ties. Every day of warm, dry, sunny weather adds greatly to the value of 

 the crop. 



Winter wheat seeding is being pushed rapidly and the earliest is up and 

 showing green. The soil is becoming too dry to plow in many sections of 

 the State. 



Sugar beets have been greatly benefited by the recent weather. While 

 the yield in tons per acre is not unusually large, the beets are ripening up 

 rich and harvest will begin about October 1. The factories will start opera- 

 tion about October 4. 



Sorghum has matured a good crop and the factories are busy manufac- 

 turing syrup. 



The Mitchell county truck crops section is marketing a bountiful crop 

 of potatoes, cabbage and onions. About 20 car loads per day are being 

 shipped from the town of St. Ansgar alone and more would be shipped if 

 cars were available. 



Ijuiletin No. 25, September 28, 1920 — 



Abnormally high temperatures, abundant sunshine, generally light to 

 moderate rainfall and strong southerly breezes have rushed the belated 

 corn crop toward maturity. For the State as a whole 80 to 85 per cent of 

 the crop is safe from frost, ranging from as little as 50 per cent in some 



