486 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



COMPARATIVE DATA FOR THE STATE-SEPTEMBER 



OCTOBER. 



October, 1917, was 3.1° colder than October, 1895, which has heretofore 

 been the coldest since state-wide records began in 1890. Killing frosts 

 visited some sections of the State on the 1st, all but the southwest por- 

 tion on the 6th, and all sections on the 8th. During a well defined cold 

 wave that swept over the State on the 28th-30th, the temperature fell 

 nearly to zero in the northern and western counties, the lowest being 

 just zero at Galva. Precipitation was deficient, except in a few north- 

 east and east-central counties. A general snowstorm on the 28th-29th 

 was remarkably heavy for the season in the northeastern counties. 

 Cloudiness was nearly the greatest of record; and sunshine was cor- 

 respondingly deficient, particularly in the northeastern portion of the 

 State where it was less than one-third of the possible amount. 



Corn was seriously damaged by the unfavorable conditions; very little 

 of it was fit to crib at the close of the month; that which was cribbed, 

 heated so that it had to be dried and sorted; much soft corn in the fields, 

 molded; and seed corn gathered since the freezes shows very low germina- 

 tion tests. Germination and growth of winter grains was much retarded. 

 Less than the usual amount of fall plowing was done. Apples on the 

 trees and potatoes in the ground were damaged in some sections. A few 

 localities reported deficient water supply. 



