612 TWENTY-THIRD ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART VIII 



Spring seeding- and work in general is unusually variable in adjacent 

 counties or localities. Seeding of oats averages about 40 per cent com- 

 pleted, ranging from none in some of the northeast counties to between 

 75 and 90 per cent in a belt extending from Palo Alto county southeast to 

 Polk and thence southwest to Adams, Taylor and Ringgold counties. 



An increase in barley acreage is mentioned by some correspondents. Bar- 

 ley will stand a little later seeding date than oats. Mention is also made 

 of the possibility that the backward season may divert some of the in- 

 tended oats acreage to corn, to the extent that the 1922 corn acreage may 

 be larger than the 1921 which, with a normal season, would mean a repeti- 

 tion of the overproduction of corn. However, the outlook for weather this 

 morning (18th) is for several days of fair weather with rising tempera- 

 ture, so that there is yet time for active work in seeding oats. In some 

 localities early seeded oats are up and showing green. 



Winter wheat, rye, pastures and meadows look unusually good. Pastures 

 in the south half of the State are already affording considerable grazing 

 and by May 1 will take the place of nearly all dry feed. 



Spring pig reports are very disappointing, due to the causes mentioned 

 last week and to the cool, damp and cloudy weather. 



Favorable wintering of bees is being offset by the unfavorable spring 

 weather which does not permit the bees to work. "Spring dwindling" is 

 becoming serious. 



Fruit bloom has been benefically retarded in most of the State but 

 peaches and plums are in full bloom in the extreme southern counties 

 where there is a possibility of some damage by the freezing temperatures 

 of Tuesday morning (18th), though of course it will take several days to 

 accurately judge the amount of damage, if any. Otherwise the fruit out- 

 look is promising. 



Bulletin No. 3, April 25, 1922 — 



Mostly dry weather till the rain of Monday, 24th, with sunshine above 

 normal and considerable wind dried the soil so that field work made ex- 

 cellent progress — the best of the season. 



The bulk of the oats and barley seeding was finished, though little more 

 than a beginning has been made in some of the extreme northern counties. 

 Some localities report the work completed and most of the fields up and 

 showing green. The favorable weather of the past week removed the 

 necessity for shifting oats acreage to corn. Speculative prices of clover 

 seed have decreased the intended acreage of clover. 



Plowing for corn got a good start in the central and southern districts. 

 The prospects for an increased acreage are not as strong as seemed 

 probable earlier in the season. 



Temperatures were generally below normal, with frost, freezes and ice 

 on the 19th. These with the freeze of the 17th and ISth are believed to 

 have caused slight damage to plums, pears and peaches in the southern 

 district, but in the central and northern districts buds were not far enough 

 advanced to be injured. Only a few early plums are in bloom in the cen- 

 tral districts. All fruit buds are dormant in the northern districts. 

 Apple buds have not opened yet. 



Pastures and meadows did not make much progress due to the cool 

 weather, yet live stock have been put on pasture quite generally. 



Gardens, potatoes and commercial onions were planted this week to a 

 considerable extent. 



A flood crest passed down the Mississippi River this week, inundating 

 considerable low land. 



Bulletin No. 4, May 2, 1922 — 



Cool, dry and mostly cloudy weather permitted rapid progress in field 

 work, retarded the germination and growth of spring grains and the growth 

 of winter wheat and grasses, and beneficially delayed the blooming of fruits. 



