Weather Holds the Spotlight 



Drouth Ruins Spring Wheat In West, Cuts Corn Crop = 



THE weather made the headlines of 

 all newspapers throughout most of 

 July. The month opened with high 

 temperatures and drouth over the corn 

 belt and on west to the Rockies. Wither- 

 ing hot winds and a scorching sun turned 

 pastures brown, opened great cracks in 

 the ground, and made corn leaves curl 

 up for protection. Out west spring wheat 

 never had a chance. In Illinois spring 

 seeded clover and grass which started 

 well gave up the fight. 



All-time records were shattered in the 

 , 10-day period ending July 17 with the 

 thermometer averaging well over 100. 

 At Olney in Richland county the eight- 

 day average on July 14 was 108 degrees. 

 That day the thermometer hit IMVj at 

 Mt. Vernon, one of the hottest places in 

 the state. West of the Mississippi and 

 out in the Great Plains area temperatures 

 of 118 and 120 were recorded. 



Livestock, poultry and crops, to say 

 nothing of human life, suffered. Between 

 ■1.000 and 5,000 people throughout the 

 country died directly or indirectly due to 

 the heat wave. In the Dakotas and sec- 

 tions of Iowa and Nebraska the high 

 temperatures finished corn and spring 

 wheat. Winter wheat maturing earlier, 

 however, produced a good crop. Yields 

 up to 40 bushels were reported in some 

 sections of central and southwestern 

 Illinois. In the Dakotas where spring 

 wheat has failed consistently for several 

 years there is talk of deserting spring 

 for winter wheat which grows and ma- 

 tures before extreme heat and summer 

 drouth can get in its deadly work. 



Illinois again, despite the harmful ef- 

 fects of heat and drouth, is a favored 

 state, comparatively speaking. The 

 spring grain crop in Illinois exceeded ex- 

 pectations. Oats yielded better and were 

 heavier than early predictions indicated. 

 In northern Illinois 40 to 60 bushel yields 

 were frequent and in central and south- 

 ern Illinois many yields estimated to go 

 20 to 25, produced 35 to 45 bushels. 



As this is written the effect of the 

 drouth and heat wave on the com crop 

 is still a question. Crop reports in late 

 July indicated a yield 65 per cent of 

 normal, which is still a lot of corn. The 

 national yield was estimated then at ap- 

 proximately two billion bushels which 

 compares with the crop of approximately 

 1,400,000,000 bu.shels in 19.34. 



Early tasseling corn in Illinois as else- 

 where was harder hit than the later corn. 

 Corn that was tasseled -out during the 



extreme heat wave suffered most. Tas- 

 sels were burned white and pollen de- 

 stroyed. In nearly all fields many top 

 leaves were burned. Nevertheless many 

 observers predict that with late July 

 rains later corn will tassel and fertilize 

 the budding ears on stalks where tassels 

 are burned. Northern and northwestern 

 Illinois again appear to have the best 

 prospect for corn. Bottom land corn is 

 faring better than upland. The heat and 

 drouth have shawn that corn plants 

 well rooted can take a lot of punishment. 

 The same is true of soybeans. ... 



situation. With milk drying up and pro- 

 duction expense heavy organized pro- 

 ducers throughout the state justly asked 

 for price increases. 



In response to organized producers' 

 demands, at LaSalle-Peru Class 1 price 

 Afas raised from $2 to $2.25 per cwt. with 

 25 cents above 92 score butter for sur- 

 plus. At Peoria, producers got an in- 

 crea.se from $1.98 to $2.25 for Class I 

 milk going into the 12 cent (3.8'// ) re- 

 tail trade. Class I A (lie milk testing 

 .•{.5) shot up from $1.75 to $2.05. At 

 Champaign Class I price to producers 



NO CORN THIS YEAR 

 Says H. Barrows, of Plankington, So. Dakota, as he surveys what drouth, heat and grasshoppers 

 left of his corn crop. Four dry years in some sections of the Dakotas have all but discouraged 

 farmers from staying on the land. 



The greatest immediate effect of the 

 drouth was on pastures and milk flow. 

 Milk production dropped 40 to 50 per 

 cent throughout Illinois the middle of 

 July. Even where green feed was avail- 

 able cattle suffered intensely from the 

 heat and failed to eat normally. Farm 

 poultry flocks suffered losses, horses 

 were overcome by heat and other live- 

 stock was set back. 



The board of directors of the Illinois 

 Milk Producers Association met July 

 18 in Chicago to consider the drouth 



was upped to $2.32 for 3.8 per cent milk. 

 Additional premiums up to 17 cents per 

 cwt. apply to quality production. 



Effective July 16 Pure Milk Associa- 

 tion announced 50 cents over condensery 

 price for 100 per cent of base for Grade 

 A 3.5 per cent milk. The condensery 

 price the first two weeks in July was 

 $1,537. Surplus milk in the Chicago area 

 is 10 cents per cwt. over condensery 

 price. Other markets reported similar 

 gains, but the increased price doesn't 

 (Continued on page 5, Col. 3) 



I. A. A. RECORII 



