IOWA WEATHER AND CROP REPORT 627 



Tame hay increased to 3,393,000 acres, including 200,000 acres of alfalfa. 

 The average yield was 1.40 tons; total production, 4,750,000 tons; price 

 $10.40 per ton; total value, $49,400,000. 



Alfalfa yielded 2.67 tons per acre or a total of 534,000 tons; price 

 $14.80 per ton; total value $7,903,000. 



Wild Hay: — Area, 432,000 acres; yield per acre, 1.14 tons; total produc- 

 tion, 492,000 tons; price $8.50 per ton; total value $4,182,000. 



Minor miscellaneous crops such as garden truck, fruit, pop corn, sweet 

 corn, buckwheat, sugar beets, pasturage, etc. are lumped off at a paltry 

 $75,101,000 worth. 



Increased values due to feeding a considerable portion of these crops 

 to live stock are not considered in this report. 



Details by counties are shown on the following pages. 



FARM WAGES IN 1922 



The wages of male farm labor in Iowa during 1922 were as follows: 

 Average rate per month when hired by the year with board, $37.00, com- 

 pared with $39.55 last year; without board, $48.00, compared with $52.40 

 last year. Average wage per day for day labor for harvest work with 

 board, $2.70, compared with $2.76 last year; without board, $3.50, com- 

 pared with $3.57 last year. Average wage per day for day labor for other 

 than harvest work with board, $2,13, compared with $2.25 last year; 

 without board, $2.58, compared with $2.72 last year. See table on page 16. 



FUEL ON IOWA FARMS IN 1922 



The average number of cords of fire wood burned per farm reporting for 

 1922 is estimated at 7.5 cords, compared with 9 cords last year. 



The average price per cord, 4-ft. length, for 1922 is estimated at $5.20, 

 compared with $5.14 last year. The average number of tons of coal burned 

 per farm reporting this year was 6.6 tons and the average price estimated 

 at $10.25 per ton. See pages 17 to 19. 



IOWA FARM PRICES, DECEMBER 1, 1922 



The prices of Iowa farm crops are steadily climbing. A dollar's worth 

 of crops in Iowa November, 1913 — before the war — would have sold for 

 72 cents a year ago in November; for 78 cents in October of this year, 

 and for 83 cents in November of this year. A dollar's worth of crops De- 

 cember 1913 would sell for more than 99 cents today, practically at par 

 again. 



The reason for this sudden change in purchasing power is due to several 

 factors. One of which is the demand for feed by an increased number 

 of live stock on feed, 50 per cent more cattle in Iowa and 20 per cent 

 more sheep in the United States. Another is the fact that the normal 

 tendency of crop prices is slightly downward during the fall months. 

 Car shortage in some sections acting as a break on crop movements tends 

 to keep corn prices up. 



With live stock — cattle, hogs, sheep, poultry, horses and dairy cows — a 

 dollar's worth in November, 1913, would sell for 97 cents in November, 

 1922. 



