524 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



At Lamoni, la., the meteor was described as falling in the northwest, 

 followed by several heavy rolls of thunder. At Baxter, it is reported that 

 two falling stars were seen to cross the sky. Rockwell City reports that 

 "The glare from a meteor passing through the sky in the north Tuesday 

 evening frightened a team of horses hitched to a hayrack, causing a runa- 

 way." The farthest north from which there is any authentic report of a 

 noise, is Mt. Ayr, la. The statement written to me personally from a 

 former student is, "It was first seen coming from the north and west of 

 this Immediate vicinity. Just before it vanished from view it seemed 

 to be much redder and looked to be going down. In just about 10 minutes 

 after we saw the meteor we heard a report as though a large shot gun 

 had been discharged at a distance of about a quarter of a mile. Immediate- 

 ly following the report we experienced a shock that rattled our doors 

 and windows. The people of Mt. Ayr also experienced the shock, though 

 not the report. Our first neighbor south also heard the report and felt 

 the shock in about 10 minutes." 



From St. Joseph, Mo., the report Is that "A small piece of the meteor 

 hit the earth just east of the city limits at the home of Richard Tarwater. 

 It struck in the yard close to the house, according to members of the 

 family, and imbedded itself in the ground." "There was a brilliant light 

 lasting about 30 seconds but no noise," reported Mr. Tarwater. The most 

 southern point reporting the meteor to date, is Coffeyville, Kans., where 

 it is described as "Giving a lurid glare and passing from the west toward 

 the east, striking seemingly just north of town with such force that the 

 windows in the city rattled to such an extent that the people ran out 

 thinking an explosion had occurred." At Richmond, Mo., it was reported 

 that "The vivid white ball of fire traveling across the northern sky ap- 

 peared to burst high in the air and the fragments were consumed before 

 they reached the earth." Fragments were also reported from Albany. Mo. 

 The usual thin cloud of dust marking the trail of the meteor high in the 

 sky was noted by practically every observer, but none reports any drift 

 showing the movement of the higher air. 



FEBRUARY. 



February opened severely cold with the ground heavily snow-covered. 

 Most stations reported their lowest temperatures of the winter on either 

 the first or the 4th. Temperatures began to moderate on the 5th; the 

 snow disappeared, except in some northern counties by the 10th; and 

 the remainder of the month was mild, except cold waves, 16th-17th and 

 19th-21st, with occasional moderate snows that soon disappeared. 

 Temperatures averaged above normal, except in Cass, Black Hawk and 

 Clayton counties. Average daily excesses of 4° or more were reported 

 from Buena Vista, Kossuth, Taylor and Van Buren counties. 



On the 8th, a sleet storm, attended by lightning and thunder, covered 

 a belt 100 or more miles wide, extending from southwest to northeast 

 across the State. In portions of this belt a glaze formed, the central 

 and southwestern portions being without snow covering. On the 14th, 

 glaze covered Guthrie, Greene and Dallas counties and northeast nearly 

 to the boundaries of the State, mostly without prior snow covering. The 



