Omaha daily bee., 1908-10-13
10 BUMPER CROP FOR IOWA
Corn This Year Will Not Equal Yield
of Two Years Ago.
WEATHER CONDITIONS NOT BEST
states Fight Against TuberculOsis
Declared 20 he Along Most
Modern Lines of Experts
Theories.
{ From a Staff correspondent

{ From a Staff Correspcndent)
DIES MONIES, Ia, Oct. 12.-(Special.)-
Corn. the great staple crop of Iowa, Is al
ready beginning to crowd election news IN
the interests Of the people and Iowa de-
sires to rank as the greatest corn state In
the union. The reports from the various
agencies are beginning to come in. The
government has already made its report
fixing the crop In Iowa at 29O,oOO,0O BUSH
els. The Iowa Grain Dealers association
will make a final report on the crop In
Iowa some time next week. The Iowa
crop and weather service will not make its
final report till December 1. But In the
minds Of the great majority of the people
of Iowa corn is the great topic of CONVEX
satiou just now and will continue so till
the crop Is in the crib.
In spite of many drawbacks the corn
crop Of Iowa has suffered this year there
is sure to be a pretty good crop. AS much
as 1t is to be regretted II must be con-
ceded that 1t is not going to be a bumper
crop, however. There has been much talk
during the summer and early fall OF a
bumper crop. People who talk so are i'll
advised. There may be counties in the
state where the crop will be a bumper
crop. but taking the state as a whole this
cannot be said. But even II the crop Is
not a bumper crop any crop that Iowa
turns out is a big crop ard Is therefore
correspondingly important and the crop
this year is probably worth more in dollars
and cents than that of last year for the
reason that the price this year is IS cents
a bushel, with prospects of its going higher,
while last year it was but 81 cents a bushel
and in 1906, when the biggest crop the state
ever raised was harvested, the price was
but 45 cents a bushel.
Corn Planted Late.
In the first place this year the farmers
were late in planting their corn because
of the excessive rains during the month of
May wher they should have planted It.
Farmers who got their corn planted on the
regulation day, May 10, are probably pre-
pairing to harvest a good big crop. But
with the bulk Of the farmers 1t was later
than that time and with many of them It
was far in June before they got the crop
in. Corn requires fully 175 days in which
to mature, which takes to October 10 If
planted on May 10. But this year the bulk
Of the crop was not planted till after May
10 and then frost came iD before October
10 and cut the crop short at that end. The
time was therefore short at both ends
and the crop suffered.
The last estimate OF the Iowa Grain Deal
ers' association is that 70 per cent of the
crop was out OF the way of frost by Oc-
tober /. There was a total Of 9,l46, 52S acres
devoted to corn crop this year In this state
which is a greater acreage than the state
ever devoted to corn before. but according
to the Iowa Grain Dealers association es-
innate there was Is per cent of this acre
age abandoned or failed to mature a crop
this year, which cuts the acreage down to
? 7=l EAS ocraa uyhIch lie considerably less
than the state has had for some years
back. The September estimate of the Iowa
Grain Dealers association was for a crop
of 2T9, So, $40 bushels of corn for Iowa this
year. This was probably with the idea
that frost would not come as early as it
did come and hence it is confidently ex-
pected that the next estimate of that as
ISOLATION will be less.
The crop raised in Iowa this year is sure
to be of a poorer grade on the whole than
in many years because of the frost. Corn
experts generally agree that when frost
takes the corn before 1t is matured 1t has
the effect of making soft corn. Over
taken by the frost before the grains are
fully matured and filled out and dried the
corn never natures, for the minute a kill
ing frost strikes it all growth is stopped
and the work of maturing stops and the
ears stay right where they are-"soft."
IOwa'S Banner Crop.
The biggest ccrn crop Iowa ever raised
was probably in 1906, when all the weather
conditions were favorable. and the final
estimate of the state crop and weather
bureau was SsS, 34s, $50 bushels. The estimate
4of the Iowa Grain Dealers association for
that year was 1913, 215, 600 bushels. The esti.
mate of the government bureau at Wash
ington this year, issued on October Z, after
Iowa had had two or three killing frosts
was 200, OOO,OOO bushels and the value was
put at sos. 200, 900, being at rs cents a bushel
Corn, the most important crop of the
state, is the last to mature. Practically al
other crops are now harvested and all the
important crops are harvested. The Iowa
Grain Dealers association m are the
only final estimates thus far made. These
estimates are based on the reports which
the grain dealers of the state make to the
secretary of the association, George Wells
in this city. 1t shows a considerable in.
crease In the yield of both winter and
spring wheat, but a lighter yield in oats
barley and rye than In 1907. Winter wheat
this year is estimated at 2,isO, sO4 bushels
against ~l,6S7,s55 bushels in 1907; sprine
wheat. 5,12O, 1856 bushels this year, against
3,sSs,Sl4 bushels last year; oats, 1O1. 1913, ~
bushels this year, against 1890 SO bushels
last year; barley, 9,SC2, $50 bushels this year
against 9,S22,3H bushels last year.; rye, 1913,
OS3 bushels this year, against 6l,O42 bushels
last year.
After County Government.
Des MOines business men have prepared
to have introduced in the coming session
of the general assembly a bill to change
the government of counties to one on the
commission basis. Since the success OF the