PART I. 



Report of the Iowa Weather and Crop Service for 



1909. 



George M. Ghappel, Director. 



This report has been compiled from the monthly and Aveekly 

 bulletins of the Iowa Weather and Crop Service, the purpose 

 being to present in a condensed form the principal climatic features 

 of the year, together Avith the tabulated statistics of the staple soil 

 products of the state, for future reference. 



The equipment of the co-operative meteorological stations has 

 been kept up to a high standard through the generous co-operation 

 of the lion. Chief U. S. Weather Bureau. Self-registering maxi- 

 mum and minimum thermometers, rain gages and instrument shel- 

 ters have been issued whenever necessary to improve the records. 



Meteorological reports were received regularly each month from 

 122 stations in charge of co-operative observers, and also from the 

 U. S. Weather Bureau stations at Des Moines, Davenport, Du- 

 buque, Charles City, Keokuk, Sioux City and Omaha, Nebraska. 



During the six crop months of 1909, this office distributed about 

 42,500 copies of the weekly weather crop bulletin and during the 

 year 22,000 copies of the Monthly Climatological Report of the 

 Weather and Crop Service. 



The distribution of the daily weather forecasts, by mail, rural 

 telephone and rural mail service has been maintained with very 

 little variation in the number distributed as compared with the 

 number issued in 1908. About one hundred thousand rural tele- 

 nhone subscribers and nearly seven thousand patrons of the rural 

 mail routes receive the forecasts daily and special, warnings of 

 the approach of cold Avaves and heavj- snoAVS Avhenever issued. 



The tabulation of the precipitation data for tne several drainage 

 basins of the state has been completed, and the tables are being 

 printed by the Chief U. S. Weather Bureau. 



