1 .p.rtAUl* 

 INTRODUCTORY ** 



The 1914 Iowa Year Book of Agriculture, herewith presented, is 

 the fifteenth volume issued by this department. The first Year 

 Book was issued in 1900, following the passage of the law which 

 did away with the State Agricultural Society and established the 

 Department of Agriculture in its stead. The Agricultural Society 

 issued its reports annually during its existence, forty-six annual re- 

 ports having been published up to 1900. 



A comparison of the summaries issued by the Iowa Weather and 

 Crop Service in 1900 and in 1914 shows that the field crops in 1914 

 were worth more than twice as much, as in 1900. The total value 

 of the field crops in 1900 was $229,805,058 and in 1914, $465,793,- 

 419. There was a larger acreage in corn, in oats and all other small 

 grain crops in 1914 than in 1900. Winter wheat was a very minor 

 crop in 1900, the whole crop being worth only $631,203, while in 

 1914 it was worth $12,038,210. Alfalfa, which was grown in every 

 county in the state last year, was not enumerated in the crop yields 

 in 1900. 



The crop statistics used this year are those of the Iowa Weather 

 and Crop Service and the U. S. Department of Agriculture. The 

 towTiship assessors' figures for 1914 will not be available until late 

 in the summer of 1915 inasmuch as the assessors are taking the 

 census this year along with their other duties. Hence the crop 

 statistics from the township assessors do not appear in this volume. 



Part I contains a synopsis of the proceedings of the State Board 

 of Agriculture and committee meetings during the year 1914. 



Part II contains the proceedings of the State Agricultural Con- 

 vention held in the agricultural rooms of the State House, Decem- 

 ber 9th. It includes the president's address and the reports of the 

 secretary and treasurer; financial statement of farmer's institutes; 

 the financial statement and statistics of county and district fairs 

 and the report of the Iowa State Fair and Exposition for 1914. 



Part III gives the proceedings of the sixth annual meeting of 

 the Iowa County and District Fair Managers Association. 



Part IV gives the press reports and live stock awards of the 

 ] 914" Iowa State Fair and Exposition. 



