EIGHTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART I. 17 



April was a record-breaker as to temperature and precipitation, being 

 the coldest and driest of which we have state-wide records. The only 

 mean temperature was 7.7° below the normal. At several stations the 

 records show that the month was about a degree colder than the pre- 

 ceding March. The average monthly minimum for the state was 16.4°, 

 which shows the remarkable persistence of freezing weather. The precip- 

 itation was less than half the usual amount for April. The conditions 

 were unfavorable for germination of seed and growth of all forms of 

 vegetation, but the soil was in fine tilth and favorable for plowing and 

 planting. Fruit buds were well advanced by the warm weather in March, 

 but blooming was greatly retarded by the abnormally low temperatures 

 in April and May, and the heavy frosts were very destructive to all early 

 varieties of fruits, especially in the southern half of the state. Seeding 

 operations were generally completed earlier than usual, but in respect, 

 to germination and growth of farm crops the season was two to three 

 weeks late. 



Following the coldest April of record in this state, the month of May 

 was also a record-breaker as to temperatures, the mean being 7.2° below 

 the normal. The lowest temperatures occurred on the 3d and 4th, and 

 the average monthly minimum was 22.1°. Frosts were reported in all 

 districts in every week of the month. Light snow flurries were general 

 on the 3d and 15th. During the first and second decades there were many 

 complaints of insufficient moisture for the germination of seed and growth 

 of grass. But the last decade brought copious showers, and generally 

 sufficient moisture to break the drouth and replenish supplies of water 

 for stock. The bulk of the corn acreage was planted under ideal con- 

 ditions of soil, but germination was slow, much replanting was done, 

 and the stand was very far below the average. The wet and cold weather 

 during the latter part of the month was favorable for grass and early 

 sewn small grain. 



June was cooler than usual, and exceedingly showery, with general 

 deficiency of sunshine, especially during the first half of the month. The 

 conditions were quite unfavorable in large portions of the state for culti- 

 vation of corn, causing abandonment of many thousands of acres which 

 were planted on lowlands in the dry period of May. The latter half of 

 the month was more favorable, and crop conditions were more encourag- 

 ing to farmers. Pastures and meadows were much improved, and nearly 

 up to the average. 



July was nearly normal in temperature, but the rainfall was about 

 3.00 inches above the average. Rain fell in some parts of the state every 

 day during the month. In the first decade the wet weather caused much 

 diflJculty and delay in cleaning out the corn fields. And later in the 

 month the frequent showers interfered seriously with the harvest of 

 grain and hay, impairing the quality of these products. Heat and humidity 

 caused rust of oats and spring wheat. 



The mean temperature of August was less than a degree below the 



normal, and there was about the usual amount of sunshine. The rainfall 



averaged 0.57 of an inch above the normal, but it was quite unequally 



distributed, about one-third of the state receiving less than three inches, 



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