848 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



Millet — Small acreage where corn was drowned out. Grown only for 

 cattle feed and none threshed except for seed. 



Timothy — Seventy-five per cent of the usual crop. Too wet on level 

 land. 



Prairie Hay — A thing of the past in this section of Iowa. 



Potatoes — Never was so nearly a failure; wet soppy condition of 

 ground drowned them out. No late planting done and potatoes were 

 shipped in by car loads to supply home demands. 



Apples — Superabundance of early varieties; no market; fair yieled 

 of late varie'ties but 75 per cent of them were caught on trees by an 

 early freeze. However, they are keeping remarkably well. 



Cattle — All leading breeds found here; general herds ai"e being rapidly 

 improved; Angus and Galloways gaining rapidly. Wet spring and fall 

 caused grass to be rather poor. 



Horses — Condition good. Percherons, Clydesdales and Belgiums pre- 

 dominate and many of these are imported. Fast horses are only read 

 about, not seen anymore. Onh ^iov+ 75 per cent of usual foals this 

 year. 



Sicine — All the leading breeds are lound in this county. Farmers are 

 losing faith in the results of feeding high priced corn to stock. 1910 

 will yield only 33 per cent of the usual crop of hogs. 



Paul try — Wet weather was very hard on the early hatches. Very 

 few bugs and no grass hoppers for chickens. 



Bees — Condition only fair; lack of clover blossoms. 



Drainage — Very little tiling being done about us. Fear is entertained 

 that our clay sub-soil will not admit of its success. People are leaning 

 to surface drain more properly. 



Other Industries — Coal mining has declined owing to controversy of 

 ownership and litigation of miners. Much good territory is undeveloped 

 owing to lack of railroad facilities in the northeastern part of our county. 



Lands — Much of our territory lays in the timothy seed belt but that 

 article no longer pays; long hay will hereafter predominate. Inasmuch 

 as our lands lie in and are a part of the drift with clay sub-soil we were 

 especially injured by the extremely wet spring. 



Report of Fair — No county fair held any longer. We are near the 

 great Iowa Exposition, which eclipses the world. 



LYON. 



GEORGK H. WATSCX. KOCK RAPIDS. OCTOBEE 23, l&Oil. 



General Condition of Crops and Season — Season has been very favor- 

 able; few severe storms during the crop season and no hail. Three se- 

 vere wind storms uncovered considerable of the small grain just after it 

 has been sown. 



Cor7i — Compared v.ith last j-ear is about a ninety-eight per cent crop. 

 but with an acreage of ten per cent more than in 1908. Quality good. 



Oats — At least fifty per cent better than last year; yield averages 

 twenty-five to thirty bushels and tests thirty to forty-five pounds to the 

 bushel. 



