Page:History of Iowa From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century Volume 3.djvu/267

 All through the northern portion of the State the immature corn was seriously damaged by early frosts.

Notwithstanding these extremes of drouth and excessive heat in 1901 and excessive rains in the year following, Iowa produced a large surplus of the principal farm products. J. R. Sage, Director of Weather and Crop Service, made a report from which the following items are taken relating to the chief products of the two years. In 1901 the corn crop yielded an aggregate of 227,000,000 bushels which was valued at $118,000,000. In 1902 the crop was estimated at 296,950,230 bushels, valued at $83,000,000, or about 69,000,000 bushels more than in the previous year but, owing to the damage from wet weather and lower price, the aggregate value of the crop was far below that of 1901. The report from the entire State showed forty-seven per cent. of the crop to be sound and fifty-three per cent. soft and unsalable in the markets. The oats crop suffered greater damage than any other cereal from the excessive rains. The estimated yield was $40,209,000, while the crop of 1902 was worth but tons, valued at $30,721,000; while the yield of 1902 was 4,439,040, valued at $30,071,592. The prairie, or wild hay yielded in 1902, 1,202,860 tons, valued at $6,615,730, while that of the previous year was 1,268,700, worth $7,992,000. The fruit and vegetables in 1902 were valued at $9,500,000. The total products of the farms of the entire State were valued at $215,722,339 for the year 1902.