The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1883-11-28
The Weather Signal Service and it's
Relation to Agriculture.

The Weather Signal Service and it's
Relation to Agriculture.
There has been much said regarding the
value of the weather bureau to farmers, but
no one can say that practically it has up to
this time done any great good. If 1t can
| foretell the weather the facilities for COM
! munication to farmers are not sufficient to
enable them to obtain the information In
| time to be of any service to them In secur-
ing their crops, which is the principal time
that such knowledge is Of practical benefit
Some enthusiastic advocates Of the benefits
of the bureau to agriculture have given as q
reason that the coming of frosts might be
made known, and as consequence some
part of the disastrous effects averted. II
the information could be given 1t might be
of use to very limited extent, but could not
be of any great help to the farmer. He
could do nothing to prevent or ward off the
frost or to secure his crops from Its effects.
What benefit to the corn-grower was previ-
GUS knowledge of the coming Of the frost
early in September of this year, that de-
stroyed not only the corn but other crops In
large sections of the country? They could
not take the crops to shelter nor secure
them in any way from it. They would Sim
ply know that ruin was coming, but the In.
formation would be of little service, and the
particular means or method of circulating
1t is of no practical account.
The coming of storms can with reasonable
oorta;ntr ho y,rodictad for . short TINA rre-
vious and in haying and harvest the benefit
of it can be readily communicated to those
who need it.-We know of a farmer who,
this last haying, being within easy reacn OF
signal station avaied himself OF informa-
ton obtained at the weather Office to con-
siderable advantage in securing his hay crop;
but he had ready communication with the
office personally and by telephone. We say
to bis advantage because on some occasions
he refrained from cutting the grass or put
on an extra force to secure hay fit to 60 in.
Yet we know of another farmer who secured
just as much hay in the same time with as
little trouble and in as good order who did
not hear word from the weather bureau
during the time except as he may have read
it in triweekly paper. The fact is, II II 10
going to rain every day as 1t did during the
last haying time, 1t will not help the work to
know of it, and If 1t is to be only an occa-
sional or local rain it makes no difference
whether the farmer knows 1t or not. In the
latter case he will waste as much time In
waiting for the rain to come as he will lose
by not knowing of its coming. The indics-
tions of the coming of q general storm are
usually sufficient without the aid of science
1AkA k1w.n~ EAI2 -
grass Immediately preceding rain.
Remarks like the following have frequent
ly been made regarding the probable bene-
fits of the service, provided the means Of
communication to farmers were sufficient 70
forewaru them of coming storms at critical
periods: s'There can be no doubt that such
weather service IN Michiga would be Of
immense value. In July, 1881, the farmers
lost more than 81, 10000 because their
wheat was not secured before the well-re-
membered storm of that year. The famous
storm, which lasted nine days, was partially
expected by meteorological observers three
days before it struck Michigan, but no warn
ing could be sent broadcast over the state to
the easy and confident farmers, because
there were no systematic means"
This is a strong statement because 1t indi-
Gates that 81 ,000, 900 might have been saved
in this one harvest If warning could have
been given. True, more wheat than was Sc
cured could have been if IL had been known
that long rain or series of storms was COM
ing, yet many acres of wheat were still uncut
and as 1t is q matter of some labor to cut q
crop of wheat, it cannot be done and put in
the barn in one, two or three days. But
let us see how the statement as to the pre-
dictions of the weather bureau are verified
by the actual reports.
The great rain began on Monday evening,
July 80, 1882; and here is the weather re-
port found in the papers of Sunday, July 20:
"lndications-Lower lake region, fair
| weather, light noxthariy ssfraa Incoming
| variable, with stationary or higher tempera-
| ture. Upper lake region, warmer fair
weather followed By Increasing cloudiness
and local rains, northerly winds, generally
veering to easterly, lower pressure" Tbs
is the day before the rain began. Not
word is said about great rain storm that Is
to last several days and do such damage. If
the meteorologists knew, why did they not
say so? But they do say that 'the barom-
eter Is highest in the lake region" and "local
rains In all districts except the upper lake
region" Is there anything here to tell the
wheat grower of the approaching stormp
on the contrary 1t is quite assuring to q
large portion or all of Michigan. The day
before this, or Saturday, July 28, the record
is: Lower lake region fair weather, winds
mostly northerly, with stationary or lower
temperature. Upper lake region, fair
weather with variable winds. Barometer is
highest in upper lake region. The tempera-
ture has fallen in lake REGION" and other
indications of good weather. Would not
good Christian harvester after reading this
report finish his work on Saturday night In
| a comfortable frame of mind and rest quietly
| through the Sabbath with no thought Of
danger? Even after the rain had begun
there was nothing startling in the weather
reports. Wednesday morning, August /, the
indications are, 'Lower lake region, cloudy
weather with rain; upper lake rrgion, partly
cloudy weather with occasional rain; local
rains are indicated to-day for the lower lake
regioD."
We do not say that the signal service does
| not or cannot foretell the approach Of storms
| or that its statement of publications" may
| not generally be correct, but we do say that
| it did not predict the coming of this storm
| that injured wheat so extensively in this
| state, and no farmer would be warned, be
| he ever SO familiar with the reports.
We fad no fault with the service, but pre-
| sumo that it has all the meteorological
| knowledge which science has so far revealed,
| and has given 1t with as much celebrity
| as possible, but the difficulty In its relation
to agriculture is that In the nature Of things
| the knowledge of coming rains, however
| widely spread, can in but occasional instsn-
ces be of any practical benefit, and these not
| enough to pay for large appropriations nee
essary 10 establish thorough system Of
| communication. 1t is better to let the mat
ter rest as at present until something shall
| develop that will bring greater inducements
| for the extended spread of weather reports
| among farmers than Is now apparent.-De-
troit Post.
Sojourner Truth.