Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-09-15
iowa CORN HAS
MADE BIG Gain
SECRETARY WELLS OF GRAIN
DEALERS ADDS FIGURES TO
ESTIMATE.

ESTIMATE.
ESTIMATED CORN YIELD.
August / ............ 241 ,257 900 bu.
| September l .279, 1888, 500 bu
| Gain for month of
August ........ 3S,626.620 bu.
| Des Mones, Sept 12.- This is
what the unusually fine weather dur
ing the month of August has done for
the corn crop in Iowa, according to
the monthly report of the Iowa Grain
| Dealers association, made public yes
terday by Secretary George A. Wells.
This estimate, coupled with the fact
that corn is now bringing so cents per
bushel in Chicago, is causing much
surprise and good feeling among the
| farmers and grain dealers throughout
the state.
Although Is per cent of the crop
will not be beyond the grip of Jack
Frost" until about Oct. /, data of the
killing frosts of former years, given
out by the United States weather bu-
reau, banishes fear of what seems to
be the only danger the farmer now
has to dread.
According to the grain experts sent
out over the state by the Iowa Grain
Dealers association, only Is per cent
of the entire corn acreage will fail to
produce crop under favorable condi-
tons and the entire net acreage will
produce an average of thirty-six bush
els per acre under normal conditions
OF the entire crop 73 per cent will be
matured by Oct /, which makes it al
most impossible for the crop to fall
below 250,000,00O bushels.
George M. Chapel, director Of the
Iowa crop bureau, who has gone to
Mason City to personally look over
the corn situation in that section,
placed the corn estimate on August
l at 250,000,000 Prof. P. G. Holden of
Iowa state college, the seed corn ex-
pert, estimated the yield at 350,000,-
900, and many other estimates have
been made by dealers well UP in the
grain situation who, since the month
Of August has passed. have placed the
yield several million bushels above
that of 1907.
| In the southwestern part Of the
state Mills, Montgomery Fremont and
Page counties, which produced a
bumper crop last year, will not yield
a half crop this year because of the
excessive rains and the untitled acre
age, nor will the entire southern part
of the state yield the crop of 1907. But
with the exception of a few counties
in the extreme northeastern portion
the rest of the state will give a yield
pf 1oc CO
Statistics from the weather bureau
concerning the frosts should put the
farmers at rest on that point For the
past thirty years the average date for
the appearance of killing frosts has
been Oct. 8, and for the past ten years
Oct. IA. The earliest killing frost
which has appeared during this time
was on September 80, 1899. Since that
time the killing frosts have appeared
as follows: 1900, Oct. s; 1901, Oct A !;
1902, Oct. a. 1908, Oct. 10; 1904, Oct
23 1905 Oct IL; 1906, Oct 10; 1907
Oct. II. Early light frosts have ap.
peared as early as Sept. IL, but the
late spring would indicate, as it has
seldom failed to do, a late fall.
Reports from the vicinity Of Mar.
shalltown places the yield at from for.
ty to sixty bushels per acre and two
more weeks of favorable weather will
! mature the crop, the observers say.
Should the corn weather Of Septem.
Der equal that OF August, the corn
! yield will be one of the best in the his
tory of the state and with prices hold.
ing as they now are. the farmers of
1 Iowa will go into winter quarters un-
der as prosperous conditions as they
have ever known.
Other Gains.
Other grains in Iowa do not show
as well as the corn crop, for 1908, bar.
| ley and rye falling below the yield of
1907. Oats, which exceeded the yield
OF last year by 1.228,221 bushels, will
be of very poor quality, weighing
scarcely twenty-five pounds per meas
ured bushel. owing to the poor quality
of seed oats used in the fall
| Wheat is estimated to exceed the
1907 crop by several million bushels.
but this, too. is Of a poor quality, and
the threshers are disappointing the
/ farmers in the yield and quality. Rye
will fall below the yield Of last year
| by 67,959 bushels, and barley by TO-.
524.
The short crops in small grains are
due in a great measure to the late.
wet spring, making 1t impossible for
! the farmers to prepare the ground and
after 1t was prepared, the seed was
pretty we'll drowned out by the exces.
! sive rains