614 TWENTY-THIRD ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART VIII 



plowing for corn, corn planting and other field work, but was unfavorable 

 for germination of corn and growth of small grains, grasses and gardens. 



About two-thirds of the corn has been planted, ranging from nearly com- 

 pleted in the upper Raccoon Valley to less than half done in the extreme 

 south central, extreme northeast and extreme northwest counties. Much 

 of that planted in the last 10 days in the western half of the State lies un- 

 germinated in the dry soil. The early planted fields are up and show rows 

 except in dry patches. Corn cultivation has begun in Pocahontas county. 

 Recently prepared seed beds were so dry that they plowed up cloddy and 

 are in poor condition. A good soaking rain is badly needed except in the 

 southeast portion of the State. 



Oats that were up before the dry weather came have made fair progress, 

 but in the drier west central and northwest counties in many fields the oats 

 still lie ungerminated in the dry soil. In Crawford county some land seeded 

 to oats has been plowed up and will be planted to corn as it is believed to 

 be too late for these oats to grow and make a crop. The drouth is opening 

 large cracks in the soil. 



Winter wheat and rye need rain but are not suffering seriously. Rye has 

 begun to head out in the southern counties. 



The recent dry, warm, sunny weather has been favorable for young 

 animals, especially pigs. The later farrowed litters are much better than 

 the earlier due not only to the weather but to the effect of succulent grass 

 on the condition of the sows. 



Tree fruits are in full bloom in the northern counties. In the central and 

 southern counties a large quantity of fruit has set on. Strawberries are 

 blooming profusely in the central counties but the crop will be disap- 

 pointing throughout the State if rain does not come soon. 



Bulletin No. 7, May 23, 1922 — 



Insufficient rain except in the northeast and southeast districts, temper- 

 ature slightly below normal and sunshine deficient in the eastern and cen- 

 tral districts were unfavorable for the best progress of crops. In some 

 western counties the drouth was becoming serious, but rain is falling over 

 most of the State this morning (23d) and the amounts are already large 

 enough to break the drouth in the southwestern counties. 



Corn is coming up very unevenly. In dry patches it has not yet come 

 through the ground while the earliest under favorable conditions is three 

 to four inches high and has been cultivated once. Planting is about 90 per 

 cent completed. Dry, cloddy soil has greatly retarded this work in the 

 south central and southeast counties. 



Oats that were up and well established before the drouth are doing 

 fairly well, but much of the acreage shows a thin stand with large areas 

 still ungerminated or making a struggle to come through the ground. The 

 outlook for an oats crop is not very good at this time. 



Winter wheat has made fair progress but will be benefited by the rain 

 that is falling. The same is true of grasses, pastures, alfalfa, gardens and 

 all other crops in most of the State. Rye is heading in the central districts. 



StrawDerries have set an unusually heavy crop but rain has been badly 

 needed. Grapes are beginning to bloom in the central districts. The Secre- 

 tary of the State Horticultural Society reports the condition of fruit and 

 vegetables on May 15th, as follows: "Apples 92; pears 86; plums 95; 

 cherries 91; strawberries 92; grapes 90; red raspberries 79; black raspber- 

 ries 88; blackberries 81; gooseberries 80; currants 93; peaches 91; early 

 potatoes 90; late potatoes 89; early cabbage 89; late cabbage 90; onions 94; 

 sweet corn 95; tomatoes 94 per cent. 



Bulletin No. 8, May 30, 1922 — 



Three weeks with deficient rainfall constitute a serious and damaging 

 drouth in the west-central and northwest districts, while in the southern 

 and eastern districts rain has been copious and in some localities damaging. 

 Considerable lowland has been overflowed in the lower Des Moines valley. 



