i:iGHTEENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART IX 513 



Considering the various crops in their relation to the weather, some 

 of the outstanding features may be noted as follows: Winter-killing was 

 unusually prevalent, particularly in the central and southern divisions. 

 Wheat, rye, clover, both old and new, timothy, blue grass, lawns, cane 

 fruits and grapes all suffered seriously. 



The winterkilling of wheat was due to the following causes: First, 

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

 central 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 plenty of moisture, and the young plants got a fair start 

 but were not sufficiently strong to resist the rigorous winter that fol- 

 lowed. Second, the general glaze storm of Christmas night covered al- 

 most the entire area with a smothering coat of ice. Third, the snow 

 covering was absent or generally deficient. In the central portion of the 

 State there was considerable snow covering, but subsequent weather con- 

 ditions reduced it to an impervious layer of ice equal in smothering prop- 

 erties to a covering of glaze. Where the snow covering was absent the 

 plants were subjected to unusual extremes of temperature. Fourth, 

 drought prevailed throughout the winter. The last three causes were 

 responsible for the winterkilling of grasses. 



In the northern portion of the State, where the snow covering was 

 deeper, more porous and continuous, grasses and the small acreage of 

 winter wheat that was sown did not suffer so seriously. The warm and 

 normally moist March and the cool and generally wet spring and early 

 summer were especially favorable for oats, spring wheat and barley, all 

 of which made large yields, barley making a record yield. The yield of 

 winter wheat on the acreage that was considered promising enough to 

 let grow was good. 



The corn acreage was greatly increased by plowing up the winterkilled 

 wheat fields and meadows. This, together with the cold, wet, unfavor- 

 able spring, started it out about two weeks late. Large areas in the 

 southern portion of the State were washed out or drowned out and re- 

 planted, some as late as the closing days of June. The abnormally cool 

 weather of May, June, and the first half of July did not give the corn a 

 chance to catch up. About the only good corn weather of the season 

 occurred from July 20th to August 4th. Two weeks more of good corn 

 corn weather would have matured a phenomenal crop, but a cold and 

 cloudy October caught it unprepared. The yield is good but the quality is 

 unusually poor. November, though much warmer and drier than nor- 

 mal, closed with the crop generally unfit for cribbing. Seed corn gath- 

 ered since October 8th almost without exception shows very low germina- 

 tion tests. Considerable care will need to be exercised before another 

 planting season to discover the unreliable seed, locate supplies of good 

 seed and effect the proper distribution. Droughty conditions and grass- 

 hoppers during August, in some of the south-central and southeastern 

 counties, made the pastures brown and bare. The Iowa Weather and 

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