36 IOWA DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE 



tion, but will require warin, dry weather during all of September, to fully 

 mature. Pastures are in excellent condition, and meadows promise a fair 

 second crop of hay. Early apples, early grapes and plums are being har- 

 vested. Plums and grapes are plentiful, but the apple crop is unusually 

 light. A large acreage is being plowed for winter wheat. 



Bulletin No. 21. — For the week ending September 1. — In respect to 

 temperature and moisture the past week was about all that could be de- 

 sired for the advancement of corn and for general farm work. The lack 

 of moisture is, however, beginning to retard plowing in some parts of 

 the state. The temperature was considerably above, ana the rainfall be- 

 low the normal until Saturday night when copious showers occurred in 

 many localities. Corn made very rapid progress toward maturity, and 

 gives promise of an exceptionally large yield if no damaging frost occurs 

 before October 10th, which is the average date of the first killing frost 

 of autumn at Des Moines. The effect of dry weather was beginning to 

 show on pastures and potatoes, but the showers on the night of August 

 31, and September 1st, will be of great benefit. Good progress was made 

 in stacking and threshing, and practically all of the small grain is now 

 in stack or has been threshed. 



Bulletin No. 22. — For the week ending September 8. — The past week 

 was one of the hottest of the season, with abundant sunshine, and a high 

 percentage of humidity. Showers were frequent during the first half of 

 the week, and were quite general, although the rainfall was very light 

 in the southeastern and northwestern counties. The heaviest rainfall 

 occurred over the southwestern quarter of the state, and copious show^ers 

 were reported from the central and northeastern districts. More than five 

 inches of rain fell in Audubon and Guthrie counties, ana more than four 

 inches in Shelby county. The weather was unusually favorable for forc- 

 ing the maturity of corn, but the crop will require four more weeks of 

 dry, warm weather to put it beyond danger of killing frost. Much of the 

 corn is dented, but a large portion of the crop is only in the roasting ear 

 stage. Considerable threshing was done, except where the rainfall was 

 the heaviest, and there rapid progress was made in plowing and seed- 

 ing fall grains. Pasturage is generally in good condition and late pota- 

 toes are doing fairly well. 



Bulletin No. 23. — For the week ending September 15. — The first two 

 days were very warm, but the latter half of the week was cool, with 

 temperatures near the frost line in the northern counties on the morning 

 of the 14th. More than the usual amount of cloudiness prevailed, and 

 showers were frequent, although the southeastern part of the state re- 

 ceived very little moisture until Saturday night when heavy rain fell. 

 Corn made very satisfactory progress, and the early planted fields, in the 

 southern counties, are now being cut for silage and fodder. The abnor- 

 mally high temperatures during the first ten days of the month caused corn 

 to mature rapidly, and probably fifty per cent of the crop is safe from a 

 moderate frost, but the late fields need two or three weeks of good warm, 

 dry weather to put them beyond danger of injury of even a heavy frost. 

 Considerable corn was gathered for seed during the week, and most farm- 



