FOURTEENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART XI. 823 



in order come Ben Davis, Missouri Pippen, Northwestern, Winesap, and 

 Grimes. The Duchess, Salome, Arkansas and Iowa Blush are also heavily 

 loaded. Plums showed a full set of bloom, but from all appearances did not 

 fertilize well. Sour cherries full crop. Peaches in the southern part of the 

 state will perhaps make 75 to 80 per cent crop. Pears show nearly full 

 bloom. Berries wintered well. In many vineyards 10 to 20 per cent of the 

 older vines appear dead. Conditions are unfavorable for fertilization as 

 scarcely an insect is working on the blossoms. The pollen is withering 

 so that if the present cool and rainy weather prevails many of the fruits 

 will not develop. 



Bulletin No. 6, for the week ending May 11. — The past week was cold, 

 and over the southern and eastern counties unusually wet. Showers 

 were general on Thursday and Friday, and in many localities on Monday. 

 The average temperature was about four degrees below the normal, and. 

 light frost occurred in many sections on two or three mornings, but no 

 material damage was done to fruit, which is still in good condition. Where 

 the rainfall was not too heavy rapid progress M'as made in preparing 

 ground for corn, and considerable corn was planted especially in the 

 northwestern counties. Corn planting will be general during the coming 

 week. The rains were beneficial to small grain, grass and potatoes, and 

 in the eastern counties, where the soil had been dry, it put the ground 

 in good condition for plowing. Most of the live stock is now in pasture. 



The following report by the secretary of the Iowa State Horticultural 

 Society shows the average condition of fruit on May 1st: Apples, 93 per 

 cent; pears, 90; American plums, 90; domestic plums, 75; Japanese plums, 

 SO; cherries, 89; peaches, 79; red raspberries, 77; black raspberries, 88; 

 blackberries, 89; currants, 94; gooseberries, 90; strawberries, 84 per cent 

 of a full crop. The average for all crops is 85.5 per cent, the highest 

 since 1901 when it was 4.5 per cent higher. 



Bulletin No. 7, for the week ending May 18. — Reports from nearly all 

 parts of the state tell about the same story of cool, cloudy weather, fre- 

 quent and heavy showers and delayed farm work. The temperature was, 

 however, but slightly below the normal over the southern half of the 

 state, and the rainfall over the southern tier of counties was considerable 

 less than one inch. Over the northern sections the temperature was 

 four to eight degrees below the seasonable average and the fainfall was 

 much in excess of the normal, especially in the west central and north- 

 western counties where creeks were out of their banks and much bottom 

 land was flooded. Probably not more than one-fourth of the corn has 

 been planted, and there is much ground yet to be plowed. Except for 

 delaying planting and plowing, the rains have been generally beneficial. 

 All small grain and grass crops are in excellent condition. Orchard and 

 small frpjts are unujsBially promising. 



