EIGHTEENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART IX 509 



work win be rushed during the coming week. Considerable seed corn has 

 been gathered. More than the usual amount of fall plowing is being done 

 In the northern districts, where sufficient rain fell during the week to 

 put the ground in good condition, and considerable fall wheat has been 

 Bown, but over the larger part of the southern sections the ground is too 

 dry to plow or germinate the wheat already sown. Potatoes are being 

 dug, wih fair to good yields and of good quality. Pasturage is generally 

 short and stock is being fed in some localities. Some second growth clover 

 has been cut for seed, with heads well filled. 



Bulletin No. 26, October 3, 1917 — 



The average temperature for the week was about 2 degrees below the 

 normal, and light to heavy frosts occurred on two or three mornings in 

 practically all parts of the state, the heaviest being in the eastern coun- 

 ties. Corn made fairly good progress considering the cool weather, but 

 fully one-third of the crop is not yet safe from an ordinary killing frost 

 and much more than that would be seriously damaged by freezing tem- 

 peratures. Not more than 80 or 85 per cent will be safe by October 15th, 

 and from present indications from 5 to 10 per cent of the crop will re- 

 quire all of October and at least 5 per cent is hopeless. The southwestern 

 and west central districts show the best condition and the central district 

 the poorest. However, there is enough of the crop mature in all districts 

 to insure sufficient seed for next year and the seed is now being gathered 

 in large quantities. Much of the late bottom-land corn is being cut for 

 fodder and many silos are being filled. Considerable corn is still in the 

 roasting ear stage and as green as in July. Plowing and seeding of win- 

 ter wheat and rye has been handicapped in the southern and central 

 districts by dry weather, but over the northern counties there has been 

 a decided increase in the acreage of winter wheat and rye sown. The 

 acreage of clover cut for seed will be much less than the normal, and 

 large areas of last spring's seeding of clover and alfalfa have been de- 

 stroyed by grasshoppers. Cattle are on feed in many localities on ac- 

 count of shortage of pasturage. Rain is badly needed for pastures, plow- 

 ing and fall-sown grains, but corn must have dry, warm weather. 



Bulletin No. 27, October 9, 1917 — 



The w^eek was much colder and drier than usual, the temperature being 

 about 7 degrees below the normal, and the rainfall was practically nil. 

 The frost of October 1st was much more damaging over the southeastern 

 counties than was reported last week; the one on the 6th was killing in 

 all parts of the state except over the extreme western and southwestern 

 counties and the hard freeze on the Sth was general in all districts. 



About 40 per cent of the corn in the northeastern counties has been 

 seriously damaged, with less injury toward the west and south to the 

 extreme southwestern corner of the state, where the damage probably did 

 not exceed more than 1 to 3 per cent and most of that only slight. 



Considering the crop as a whole, about 70 to 75 per cent was fully ma- 

 ture, 10 to 15 per cent was slightly damaged and the remainder will be 

 soft or chaffy, depending on the character of the weather during the next 

 few weeks. The total yield will be greater than last year, and the con- 

 dition of the crop in the northeastern district is much better than it 

 was in 1915 when killing frost and freezing temperature occurred in that 

 district on August 30th. A great deal more than the usual amount of 

 the crop is in shock or silo on account of the shortage of the hay crop. 

 Much excellent seed corn has been gathered and much more should be 

 selected at once from the best of the frosted fields and properly cared for, 

 as good seed corn will be in demand next spring. Pop corn husking will 

 begin in Ida and Sac counties in about ten days. Both the yield and 

 quality of this crop is good. The yield of potatoes is turning out fairly 

 well, the quality is generally good and the output will be much larger 

 than last year on account of a greatly increased acreage. It is thought 

 that winter apples may have been damaged by the hard freeze on the 



