EIGHTEENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART 11 ' 1^7 



If you have not handed in voul^ credentials, you had better do so 

 in order that the credentials committee may make their report. 

 Our program will connnence at 1 :30 this afternoon. 



AFTERNOON SESSION. 



The Chairman : The first we have on the proj-'ram for this after- 

 noon is the unfinished business of this morning; that is the reading 

 of the official crop estimate for 1917, by Dr. George M. Chappel, 

 director of the Iowa Weather and Crop Service. 



FINAL SUMMARY OF IOWA CROPS FOR 1917. 

 BY GEORGE M. CHAPPEL,. 



Following is a summary of reports from crop correspondents of the 

 Iowa Weather and Crop Service, showing the average yield per acre and 

 total yields of staple soil products, and the average price at the nearest 

 station, December 1, 1917. This report does not include or take into con- 

 sideration live stock, poultry or dairy products. 



The crop season of 1917 was an exceptional one; most of the crops 

 being produced under great handicaps. The winter of 1916-17 was cold 

 and the precipitation was generally deficient, particularly in the southern 

 portion of the state. The snowfall was about normal in the northern 

 counties, but very deficient in the southern sections until March and 

 April, When in the latter month it exceeded the total amount for the 

 three preceding months. A glaze storm on the night of December 

 25-26 covered nearly the entire state with a heavy coating of ice; 

 and another on March 12-13 covered the region from the Des Moines 

 to the Mississippi rivers. April, May and June were abnormally cold and 

 April and June were excessively wet. Cold weather continued until July 

 20th, after which it was hot and relatively dry until August 4th. The re- 

 mainder of August was cool and the showers were light and scattered. 

 Drought and grasshoppers became serious in some of the south-central 

 and southeastern counties. September was cooler than normal with heavy 

 frosts on the 11th, on the lowlands in the northern and eastern sections; 

 there was, however, a warm period from the 13th to the 18th. Killing 

 frosts occurred in some sections of the state on October 1st, in all but 

 the southwestern portion on the 6th, and throughout the state on the 8th; 

 and the entire month was cold, being the coldest of record, and 3.1° colder 

 than October, 1895, which heretofore held the record. Sunshine was 

 unusually deficient, particularly in the northeast portion where it was 

 less than one-third of the possible amount. November was much warmer 

 and drier than usual with about the normal amount of sunshine. 



The winter-killing of wheat was due to the following causes: First, the 

 plants were not well established at the beginning of winter. In the cen- 

 tral and southern divisions, which include the bulk of the winter wheat 

 acreage, drought, August 16-31, September 13-24, and October 1-14, 1916, 

 delayed plowing, seeding and germination. November was warm with 



