HARRISBURG - The 1980
summer weather patterns
continued their course
during the week ending
September 15, bringing rain
to western sections of the
state and only a few scat
tered showers in the eastern
region, according to the
Pennsylvania Crop
Reporting Service.
In all, six days were rated
suitable for fieldwork
throughout the Com
monwealth, with farm ac
tivities centering on har
vesting of potatoes,
tomatoes, corn for grain and
tobacco; baling hay and
straw; fall plowing; filling
Farm fieldwork, vegetable harvest continue
silos; and general farm
chores.
Harvest of apples and
peaches is continuing, with
peach harvest winding
down. Sweet com harvest is
also in its closing stages.
Tomato harvest continues,
and late cabbage sizing is
poor in drought affected
areas.
Potato harvest was 51
percent complete statewide
compared to 54 percent a
year ago. Northern
operators reported potato
harvest at 54 percent,
central operators reported
harvest at 52 percent and
operators in the south
reported harvest at 47
percent complete.
Pennsylvania sods are still
rated mostly short to
adequate statewide, with the
weekly rainfall ranging from
less than 0.5 inch in most
eastern and central areas
to 1.0 to 2.0 inches in western
sections. Isolated areas in
the west received up to 3.7
inches during the week.
Northern farmers rated
soil as 54 percent short in
moisture and 42 percent
adequate. Central region
soils stand at 89 percent
short and 11 percent
adequate while southern
soils are rated at 85 percent
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in pipeline or parlor systems
short and 15 percent
adequate.
Silage com harvest stands
at 33 percent completed
statewide compared to 14
percent a year ago.
Throughout the Com
monwealth, com for gram is
56 percent m dent, 17 percent
mature and less than five
percent harvested. A year
ago, the com crop was 51
percent in dent and only five
percent mature. Over the
past five years, the com crop
averaged 55 percent m dent,
12 percent mature, and less
than five percent harvested.
Harvest of tobacco is 58
percent complete in the
JUMBO
Uncaster Firming, Saturday, September 20,1900—A19
Commonwealth, well behind
last year’s 87 percent.
Fall plowing is 49 percent
complete compared to 58
percent complete a year ago.
Fall plowing was rated as 39
percent complete in the
north, 63 percent in central
counties and 42 percent in
the south.
Barley planting advanced
to 24 percent during the
week, well ahead of the 13
percent reported planted
last year. Wheat planting
increased to 28 percent,
compared to eight percent at
this time last year.
Third cutting of alfalfa
was estimated at 68 percent
statewide compared to 72
percent last year. Fourth
cutting was at 34 percent,
well ahead of the 13 percent
cut in 1979. Second catting of
clover-timothy stands is
virtually complete, well
ahead of the 85 percent last
year at this time.
The quality of hay made
during the week was rated
good to fair throughout the
state. Feed from pastures
was below average to
average statewide. Pasture
in the north was rated 63
percent below average, 29
percent average and eight
percent above average.