Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1871-12-09

lOu. lOr lSt), 4Js. lld. TOR 1866. Bu
the statistician says that in October
of this year (lS66) when the quality
and quantity of the yield were ap,
proIimately known-that is when
the grain had mostly left the hands Of
the growers, the price went up to 53s.
Id. and continued to rise until it aver
aged CAS-. Id. for 1867, 63s. Cd. for 1868,
ass. I'd. for 1869; 46s, I'D. for 1870. Ali
your staples will vary in price accord
ing to the crop, but accurate infor-
nation, such as is now proposed, as
to the promise and yield, will, with
the aid Of steam and the telegraph to
satisfy demands, tend nightly to
forbid speculation by preventing 1luc-
tuations and maintaining uniformity
in prices.
THE MACHINERY
for putting this plan into operation is
so far as this country Is concerned
all ready; all it wants is the gearing
up. You have your signal-offlce
where weather reports are continually
received by telegraph, an whence tele-
graph forecasts are issued daily, and
though this work Is so new to officers
engaged in it their progress so far is
in the right direction. You have also
the Agricultural Bureau, in the SER
vice of which reports, embodying
many Of the facts and observations
required, are already made, or might
be without any additional expense.
Many Of the data which the twoofflces
seek to obtain stand somewhat in the
relation of cause and effect to each
other, MS, for instance, a dry season
and bad crops. Your fields have the
same area and soil this year that they
had last. Your labor upon them is
the same. Why is not the yield the
same? Simply because the seasons
were different.
THE AGRICULTURAL INTERESTS
are not the only interests to be bene-
fitted by forecasting the weather and
crops; and that the money articles
thatare issued daily from the financial
centres Of the world, as the great en-
poriums Of commerce, abundantly
show. Hence, in the city articles OfI
the London Times and other journals
are such expressions as these: "The |
weather for the last few days has been |
unfavorable to the crops; consols and |
securities generally have been drop
ing" Or, "The weather is glorious |
for all growing crops; securities are
looking up; even Nottingham laces
and stockings feel its influences anu |
are active.o TO the relations between
the weather and the crops in England |
effect the public securities not only |
there but all over the world. Touch |
the weather and you touch the crops;
touch the crops and you touch cOnsols;
touch them and you touch the value
of all leading articles in trade and the
credit and security of every State,
city, and corporation in this country
that has paper on the stock boards OF
Europe or America. ] believe
THE AGRICULTURAL BUREAU
has already in its employ agents in
the various States to collect agricultur-
al information. Its organization for
receiving the monthly ortri-month-
ly reports as to the staple crops Of the
various sections may, for aught |
know, be complete, for am not in
formed rs to the details of that office.
| am under the impression, however,
that there is in this bureau abundant
room for improvement, az we'll in or
ganization as in conduct and manage
ment; for its utterances as to the yield
Of crops are not, in commercial circles,
received even with as much conf
Icnce as are the private circulars of
produce dealers. The conference
would deal with these defects and give
efficiency to both.
THE METEOROLOGICAL OFFICE,
though the more recently established,
ia the more deserving of commenda-
ton. It's forecasts of the weather are
but they are too vague as
yet to be Of much practical value.
Here is fair sample ofits predictions,
called "Probabilities,n as any of you
may see in the daily papers. took
this from the first paper | happened
10 lay hands on, with its paragraph
If
WEATHER PROBABILITIES.
WASHINGTON, August 11.-Clear
md warm weather will probably be
experienced on Saturday from Mis-
souri, to Lake Huron and westward.
low barometer with cloudy weather
will probably continue from Louisa-
ma to West Virginia and eastward. A
ow barometer with cloudy weather
and local storms will probably extend
Turing the afternoon over New York
and new England.
There is nothing in these "prob-
that you can utilize. There
is no reason why, with the means and
appliances under the control of that
)llice, you should not reasonably ex-
pect to have timely warning-at least
If certain great changes in the atmos-
ohere that you can profit by. After
while the information--as knowledge
md experience increase-may be
more specific. But as they are, these
probabilities" are 80 vague that ship
masters and farmers who felt a lively
interest in them at first, are beginning
o ask each other, "CM BonO?n
\, nevertheless, considering this Office
$ new it has made a good beginning.
But The time is coming, and this plan
oU hasten il, tDhen ihese ''probdbth-
les" should become "certdintieS,' u ana
je more specific and prGcticdb for
row can such vague things as l have
luoted be utilized? OF what use can it
be to any living soul TO know that
low barometer with cloudy weather
md local storms will probably ex-
end during tomorrow afternoon over
New York and New England?''
Now, If it had said what counties and
parts of New York and New England
.hese "local stormsn would reach,
md give some idea Of their character
md seyerity-Yhether thunder, wind,
rain, or hail stornl-we should have
something that might be of practical
recount. But let US suppose, merely
or the sake ofillustrati0n and by way
If showing the main features Of the
plan, that the proper meteorological
stations have been occupied and that
he opsery r,,,y'c"rs and co-operators report
lpon the crops as well Aa upon the
weather, and that at first and In n
way
A SPECIAL CROP REPORTER
oe assigned to every district of 10000
square miles in the States. 1t Is his
business to travel over his beat con-
jinually and put himself in communi-
,ation with Intelligent farmers in all