10 FIELD OPERATIONS OF THE BUREAU OF SOILS, 1918. 



There is only one stretch of surfaced road in the county, but the 

 highways are in general well graded and frequently dragged, and 

 kept in good condition. Several automobile routes pass through the 

 county. 



Telephone service extends throughout the county, and practically 

 every farm has telephone connection. 



Educational facilities tliroughout the county are good. There 

 are at present five consolidated schools. 



The principal markets and shipping points within the county are 

 Wapello, Columbus Junction, Morning Sun, Letts, Oakville, and 

 Grandview. Each of these towns has a grain elevator. Chicago 

 and St. Louis are the leading markets for grain, and Chicago the 

 principal market for hogs and cattle. 



CLIMATE. 



The climate of Louisa County, while including a considerable 

 range of temperature, is moderate and healthful. The highest tem- 

 perature recorded is 106° F., while the lowest is — 24° F. The mean 

 annual temperature is 49.8° F. Periods of extreme heat in sum- 

 mer or cold in winter seldom last more than two or at the most three 

 weeks. 



The average annual precipitation is 34.07 inches. The greater 

 part of this falls during the growing season, and is ample to supply 

 the needs of the crops commonly grown in this latitude. Occasional 

 droughts occur which are of great damage to crops on porous soils, 

 but total crop failures are unknown. The average annual snowfall 

 is 26.8 inches. Snow aids materiall}^ in preventing winterkilling of 

 the fall-sown small-grain crops. 



The normal growing season, or the period from the average date of 

 the last killing frost in the spring, April 24, to that of the first in the 

 fall, October 16, is 175 days. This is ample for maturing all the crops 

 commonly grown in this region. Late-maturing varieties of corn, 

 however, are occasionally caught by frost. The latest recorded date 

 of killing frost in the spring is May 23, and the earliest recorded date 

 in the fall, September 22. 



The following table gives the normal monthly, seasonal, and annual 

 temperature and precipitation as recorded by the Weather Bureau 

 station at Columbus Junction. The snowfall data are taken from 

 the record of the Weather Bureau station at Washington, Washing- 

 ton County, and are doubtless representative of conditions in 

 Louisa County. 



