The Oskaloosa herald., 1908-12-03

of the stations in this section, twenty
FIVE rainless days. Copious rains fell
in all parts of the state between the
night of the 25th and the 2Sth. Dur
ing the dry period the temperature
was considerably above the normal
and the weather was almost cloud
less. The atmosphere, was, however,
more or less hazy, and over the east
ern counties light to dense smoke was
observed from the 14th to the 23d,
presumably due to forest fires in the
upper lake regious. From the 4th to
the 25th, inclusive, the maximum tenn
peratures ranged from so to above 80
degrees, and the night temperatures
were CORRESPONDENCE high.
Agricultural interests in this state
are more frequently and more exten
sively injured by. excessive moisture
than by drouthy conditions. The last
serious drouth prior to 1908 was in
the summer of 1901, and then the dam
age to crops was largely due to con-
tinuous and excessively high temper
atures and hot winds coming as they
did during the period of pollination
and caring of corn. From April lst
to August 31st of that year, the month
ly deficiency of rainfall for the state
was as follows, viz: April 1.04 inches,
May, 2.14; June 81; July, 2.10; and
August, 2.70 inches, making a total
deficiency for the five months of $50
maximum temperatures of July were
higher than ever before known, the
monthly mean for the state being S2.4
degrees or ST. degrees above the nor
NAL, and the daily maximum temper
atures from the 1st to the 18th, in
elusive, were very near or above lOO
degrees, the absolute maximum being
113 degrees at Sigourney. The. dry,
hot weather was very damaging to
pastures and garden truck and ma
terially reduced the yield of corn for
that year.
The most disastrous drouth of
which we have authentic record as
having occurred in this state was in
1894, following as it did the dry year
of 1898. There was a total deficiency
in rainfall in 1893 of SOC inches, and
in 1894 there was a deficiency of 1O.7l
inches. From May LIST, 1893, TO Aug
ust 81, 1894, there was a deficiency OF
1851 inches. During that period the
rainfall was below the normal for
every month except December 1898,
there was an excess of 10 inch, .O4,
ii and "a inch, respectively. The
greatest deficiency was between May
l, 1894, and August 81, 1894, and by
months was as follows, viz: May,
2.63; June, 1856; July, 3.S1; and Aug
ust, 2.41, or total deficiency of 1910
inches for the four months. The eli
max of the ,drouth came III July when
the average monthly rainfall for the
state was only .63 inch, which is the
smallest amount ever recorded in this
state during any crop growing month
Over three-fourths of the state re-
ceived less than half an inch of rain
during the month and number of To-
calities reported only a trace. On
the 25th, goth and 27th of that month,
the wind velocity was very high and
the temperature was generally up to
100 degrees or above. Pastures we're
absolutely bare of anything on which
stock could secure nourishment; all
small streams, shallow wells and large
streams were dry and corn was badly
fred Many farmers were forced to
drive their stock to or haul water
from streams several miles distant
in order to keep the cattle alive, and
feeding hay and grain was general.
The yield of corn was only u bushels
per acre, which is the smallest yield
of that crop ever known in this state.