and above normal in temperature. June was well above normal in rainfall and 

 below normal in temperature. July and August were both above normal in rain- 

 fall with July temperatures close to normal and August temperatures below 

 normal. These two months constitute a critical period for hot wind damage in 

 years when hot winds occur. Both the 1928 season and the 1927 season were 

 characterized by little or no wind damage. September weather in 1928 was 

 unusually dry and slightly cooler than normal while October weather was gen- 

 erally somewhat dry and cool compared with normal. 



Month 



March 



April 



May 



June 



July 



August 



September 



Season Total 



Season Average 



GROWING WEATHER 



PRECIPITATION 

 Amount comp. Normal 



Inches 

 0.75 

 0.91 

 0.67 

 3.27 

 2.47 

 1.37 

 0.34 

 9.78 



Inches 

 -0.16 



— 0.24 



— 1.56 

 40.66 

 + 0.85 

 +0.22 



— 1.04 



— 1.27 



MEAN TEMPERATURE 

 Mean comp . with Normal 



Degrees 

 35.6 

 39.6 

 57.3 

 56.1 

 66.3 

 62.5 

 55.3 



Degrees 

 + 5.4 

 -2.8 

 + 6.4 

 -3.1 

 +0.2 

 -1.9 

 -0.3 



53.2 



+ 0.56 



THE YEAR'S TRENDS 



Trends of indicators of agriculture's progress during the year in Montana 

 were mixed although the general tendency observed during the past few years 

 to materially expand production with little increase in numbers of farm units 

 or in relative productions costs is still in evidence. 



The net result of this relationship between numbers engaged in agri- 

 culture, production and relative costs has been a greater efficiency in agri- 

 cultural production in Montana which has, in a measure, offset the general 

 handicap of agriculture since the war as expressed in relatively low purchasing 

 power of agricultural products compared with non-agricultural products. 



Montana farmers apparently are now utilizing as much if not more acreage 

 in active production as was used in the peak year of the war period, when probably 

 25 per cent more farmers were operating. Two factors in the post-war expansion 

 of the acreage operated per farm have been the relatively low value and rental 

 of farm lands and the development of power farming. 



Along with the expansion of non-irrigated acreage there has been a marked 

 development in such crops as beans, seed and canning peas, sugar beets, and to 

 some extent potatoes on the irrigated farms indicating that on the higher valued 

 lands new cash crops are being used to replace crops of less certain market 

 outlet. 



TRMEND OFACREAQE 





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Winfer Whe of Hay *. 



TREND OF ACREAGE 



Trends of total cropped acreage of wheat, 

 feed crops, special crops and hay acreage are 

 shown in the accompanying graph xor the 

 period 1924 to 1928. The strong upward 

 trends in wheat acreage and special crops 

 depict what is happening as between the 

 non-irrigated and irrigated farms, the form- 

 er being a development of a more extensive 

 farming and the latter of a more intensive 

 farming than formerly. The increase in feed 

 crops and hay acreage, which are largely 

 used within the state in livestock production, 

 reflect the growing tendency of livestock to 

 distribute itself throughout the agricultural 

 industry. A marked increase in the percent- 

 age of farms holding livestock of all kinds 

 was shown in comparing the two federal cen- 

 sus enumerations of 1920 and 1925. The 1928 



