24 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
danger line, and probably less than 10 per cent was in condition to 
receive any appreciable injury from the frost. But potato vines and 
tender garden truck were cut down in all exposed localities. As a 
result of the dry weather, hot winds and early frosts, the potato 
yield has been greatly reduced everywhere, and in some sections the 
crop of late potatoes is well nigh a total failure. 
"The pastures and meadows have suffered the most damaging ef- 
fects of the drouth and heat. Fall pasturage was almost wholly used up, 
and farm stock have been quite generally fed from the corn fields, or 
from the forage reserves provided for the winter season. 
"Fall plowing and sowing winter grain were retarded by the dry 
and hard condition of the soil, and the prospective acreage of winter 
wheat has been decreased thereby. 
"With all its drawbacks and abnormal conditions, however, the 
season of 1897 has brought forth liberal returns for the labors of faith- 
ful tillers of the soil. The final roundup will show that the state has 
produced a bountiful surplus for export to less favored regions." 
"The most disastrous drouth of which we have authentic record as 
having occurred in this state was in 1894, following as it did the dry 
year of 1893. There was a total deficiency in rainfall in 1893 of 
5.06 inches, and in 1894 there was a deficiency of 10.71 inches. From 
May 1st, 1893, to August 31, 1894, there was a deficiency of 17.61 
inches. During that period the rainfall was below the normal for 
every month except December, 1893, January, March and April, 1894, 
when there was an excess of .12 inch, .04, .11 and .24 inch respect- 
ively. The greatest deficiency was between May 1, 1894, and August 
31, 1894, and by months was as follows, viz: May, 2.63; June, 1.85; 
July, 3.81; and August, 2.41, or a total deficiency of 10.70 inches for 
tne four months. The climax of the drouth came in July when the 
average monthly rainfall for the state was only .63 inch, which is the 
smallest amount ever recorded in this state during any crop growing 
month. Over three-fourths of the state received less than half an inch 
of rain during the month and a number of localities reported only a 
trace. On the 25th, 26th and 27th of that month, the wind velocity 
was very high and the temperature was generally up to 100 degrees or 
above. Pastures were absolutely bare of anything on which stock 
could secure nourishment; all small streams, shallow wells and ponds, 
and many deep wells and large streams were dry and corn was badly 
"fired". Many farmers were forced to drive their stock to or haul 
water from streams several miles distant in order to keep the cattle 
alive, and feeding hay and grain was general. The yield of corn was 
only 12 bushels per acre which is the smallest yield of that crop ever 
known in this state. 
In 1886 a drouth began in Iowa in May and continued during June, 
July and August, which was very severe during the last two months. 
The records of this office show that the rainfall during those months 
was as follows, viz: May, 4.01 inches, all but .74 inch falling during 
the first decade of the month; June, 1.21; July, .27; August 1.10 inches, 
making a total of 3.32 inches from the middle of May to the ead of 
