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The moisture situation . The soft winter and spring wheat areas have "been 

 hard hit "by a drought condition since September. Up to the 31st of January, the pre- 

 cipitation In Illinois was only 59 percent of normal for the past five months. In 

 January, it was only 2it- percent of normal; in December 19^5 > it was 60 percent of 

 normal; and for the three months September, October, and November 19^4-5 it waa 71 ■ 

 percent of normal. The wheat- growing states having higher than usual precipitation 

 were Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and South Dakota. Fortunately the 19^^ crop will depend 

 more upon precipitation during the spring and summer months than upon the quantity of 

 moisture in the soil at this time of the year. However, the absence of an adequate 

 supply of subsoil moisture must be taken into consideration in connection with the 

 crop outlook. 



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GLJ:DD 



