Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1903-10-08
DAMAGE TO CROPS NOT AS BAD
AS REPORTED.
SECRETARY TRUE REPORTS
Investigates for the State Board of
Agriculture the Extent of Loss to
Tubers by Rotting in the Ground
and to Corn by the Cold, Wet
Weather.

The reported disasters to the corn
and potato crop of Wisconsin are not
as bad as supposed.
Secretary of Agriculture John NJ
! True made special investigation OF
the reports and yesterday issued bull
letin giving accurate data of these
two important crops. The percent
age OF the corn crop in the southern
counties, in what Secretary True calls
the corn belt of the state, is 81 per
cent. based on 100 as representing a
, perfect crop. In the part of the state
north of this the percentage is 60.
This is good showing and according
to it the damage done to corn by the
cold wet weather and by early frosrs
was greater in the less corn district.
On the whole Wisconsin's corn crop
this year is good.
In some respects the same is true of
the potato crop, the best results being
present in the area of the state where
in the greatest acreage is planted to
potatoes. In the counties of Portage,
Waupaca and Waushara, wherein one
fourths of the potato crop of the state
is grown, the percentage of a perfect
crop is ", a tolerably fair yield In
the seven east-central counties. the
percentage is Al and in the remaining
part of the state the percentage is SO.
These results of rotting in the ground
are not disastrous, although some
farmers lost more heavily than others.
The crop may be still more injured,
because perhaps three-fourths of it is
still in the ground and at the mercy of
the weather respecting the probability
of rotting.
The special report issued by secre-
tary True is as follows:
Special inquiries wer sent out from
this office October / as to the respec-
tive condition of corn and potatoes,
corn having suffered severely in a
large part of the state from severe
frosts while it was yet in an immature
state, and potatoes being reported as
rotting more or less, in all sections
Corn.
"In making our report upon the corr
IIOp VIC uIflu lhC SIolC lLlbo WV N|9
tricts, the first including what may be
considered the corn belt of the state,
and including Columbia, Crawford,
Dane, Dodge, Grant, Green Iowa, JEFF
ferson. Lafayette, Milwaukee, Ozau-
kee, Racine, Richland, Rock Sank,
Walworth, Washington and Waukesha
counties, which in 1900 had 939,7S1
acres of corn, and produced 35,396,760
bushels of grain and the second dis
trict contains the remainder of the
state which in 1900 had 557, 693 acres
of corn, producing 17,916,100 bushels
of grain. In the first mentioned dis
trict the percentage of crop, upon
basis of 100. is 81 per cent, and in the
latter district 60 per cent. The diff
ference in the quality of crop would
undoubtedly be greater than figures
here given.
Potatoes.
"In 1900 there were 256,931 acres
of potatoes in the state, producing "a
GAL ,49S bushels, Of this acreage Port
age, Waupaca and Waushara counties
had 70,2S2 acres and raised 5,456635
bushels of potatoes, nearly one-fourth
the entire crop of the state. These
counties now report the prospective
yield at 70 per cent, of full crop,
The counties of Adams, Columbia
Dunn, Juneau, Marathon, Milwaukee,
Sank and Waukesha each. in 1900, had
an acreage of more than 5000 acres,
with an aggregate yield of 5,672,293
bushels. These counties now report
an estimated yield of A per cent, of
a full crop, and the remainder of the
state so per cent.
considerable uncertainty exists as
TO the extent to which rotting may
continue. the present warm wet
weather being unfavorable for crops"