782 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



were two cold waves. The first occurred on the 7th-8th, and the second 

 spread over the State on the afternoon and night of the 28th. The first 

 was not severe, although it gave the coldest weather of the month and 

 winter on the 8th. The one on the 28th was attended by winds of gale 

 force and rapidly falling temperature. It proved to he one of the severest 

 blows Iowa has experienced in recent years, and was the only general 

 blizzard of the winter. Ice of good thickness and quality was secured, 

 and the harvest was generally finished by the 20th. Fall sown grains 

 were protected by snow during the coldest weather and were in good 

 condition at the close of the month. 



The conditions during March were quite typical. The chief features 

 were the cold wave at the beginning of the month, the warm spring-like 

 weather two weeks later, and the cloudy, snowy period during the closing 

 days. Both the mean temperature and average precipitation were near 

 the normal, while the snowfall was light, averaging less than two inches. 

 A five day period of warm, pleasant weather began on the 12th; the day 

 temperatures at this time were unusually high for so early in the season, 

 reaching 70° even in northern Iowa. Most of the ice in streams and 

 rivers disappeared during this period, vegetation began to grow, and some 

 field work was done. The return of cool weather on the 17th checked the 

 growth of vegetation. 



The mean temperature and average precipitation for April were very 

 close to the normals, there being a deficiency of only 0.1° in temperature 

 and 0.34 inch in precipitation. The month was considerably drier than 

 usual until the 24th, but from that date to the 28th, the rainfall was 

 general and, at many stations, heavy. The month, as a whole, was favor- 

 able for all out-door pursuits. The bulk of the small grain was sown by 

 the 18th. Potatoes were planted and a large area was prepared for corn. 

 Fruit trees were in blossom in the southern counties, and shade trees 

 were becoming green in all parts of the State. 



May was characterized by cool weather during the first and moderately 

 warm weather during the latter half of the month, and by numerous 

 torrential local rains, although there was a deficiency of rainfall for the 

 State, as a whole. Frost was quite general over the northern two-thirds 

 of the State between the 12th and 14th, but no damage was done except 

 to tender garden truck. Destructive wind squalls occurred in many lo- 

 calities on the 3d, and on the night of the lOth-llth. Most of the wind 

 squalls attended severe electrical storms, and were accompanied by ex- 

 cessive rainfall and, in some cases, by hail. The heavy rains caused con- 

 siderable damage by floods and soil erosion, and the hail was destructive 

 to fruits, garden truck, meadows and greenhouses. A deficiency of mois- 

 ture in the southern counties was detrimental to all crops except corn. 



June was an exceptionally favorable month over the larger part of the 

 State, but there was some objectionable features of local character, such 

 as damaging wind squalls, electrical storms, excessive rainfall, drought 

 and, in a few places, hailstorms. Over the northern and central districts 

 there was an excess of precipitation, amounting to 2.51 and 1.76 inches, 

 respectively; while in the southern counties there was a deficiency of 

 .71 inch. The heavy rains in the northern part of the State delayed the 



