770 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Report of faii^— Held at Red Oak, August iSth, 16th, 17th, 18th and 19th. 

 Favorable weather prevailed throughout the days of the fair, the attendance 

 was good, and entries in all departments were large. The exhibit of cattle 

 was the largest ever had, and our hog barns were full to overflowing. The 

 display of farm products was the best ever made in the history of the society, 

 as was also the display in Foral Hall. Every one was well pleased and the 

 fair was pronounced a success in every particular. 



MUSCATINE. 



Geo. W. Gause, West Liberty, lozua, September 17, 1904. 



Crops have been very good, although the season has been somewhat late. 



Corn—Th\s, crop is about two weeks late and the prospects are that the 

 yield will be less than the average one. Many fields were blown down in 

 August, and thereby damaged to some extent. A light frost visited this 

 district on the fifteenth of September. 



Oats — Yielded an average crop and were of excellent quality. 



Wheat — None sown. 



Rye — None grown. 



^aW<fy— Yielded well and was of excellent quality. 



y^/a;»r— None raised. 



Buckwheat — None sown. 



Millet — None sown. 



Sorghum— Vtry little planted except on sandy bottom land along the 

 Cedar River, and prospects are at this time that it will yield a good crop. 



Timothy — An average crop. Meadows, at this writing, look very bad, 

 owing to an insect at root killing a great deal of it out, and the dry weather 

 which has prevailed since harvest. 



Clover — The greater part of it was winter-killed, but new sowing looks 

 very good. 



Prairie hay — None in this county. 



Other grains and grasses— Blue grass pastures have been excellent. 



Potatoes— ^ot extensively raised, but enough for home consumption. 



Apples — An abundant crop, being the largest raised for years. 



Other fruits — Plums, fair; grapes, excellent; peaches, a failure; straw- 

 berries, good; cherries, a sh6rt crop. 



Cattle— Hsive done well; fewer are being fed for beef than usual; princi- 

 pal breeds raised are Shorthorns and Jerseys. 



Horses— This county ranks second to none in the State in the matter of 

 breeding of fine draft and road horses. 



Swine — The usual number was raised the past season, and are in a 

 healthy condition, no disease of any kind being reported. 



Sheep — Very few raised in this county. 



Poultry— Ha.ye done well. 



Bees — Very few in this county. 



Drainage — Natural drainage is excellent, and all low, wet places are well 

 tiled. 



