Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-09-10

| more storm waves, similar to that described
| above, may be expected during this month
| and the first of these will be due to leave
the Pacific coast about September Il, cross
| the Rocky Allegheny valley from the 18th
| to 18th and reach the Atlantic coast about
the 18th. On the 18th it will become ter
| rife storm on the New England coast,
| while at the same time stormy weather may
| be expected in the Mississippi valley with
| severe local storms.
WEATHER AND SCIENCE NOTES.
For their third successful attempt at rain
making in Texas the dynamiters selected
| another one of my storm dates. My storm
wave was due to leave the Pacific Coast on
| the morning of the 9th, and the maps show
| that it took a southern route. While the
| moisture-Iaden atmosphere was moving
from the gulf of Mexico to the storm
| center, then northwest of Texas. the
bombarders sent their explosives into the
| current, and in about ten hours the fruit of
the predicted storm wave arrived and the
| rain descended. Usually the hot air ris-
ing from the sun-burnt earth diSSi-
| pates the moisture-laden storm wave and
prevents precipitation. and l am of the
opinion that the bombardment has some
effect il causing IN upward flowing vortex,
constituting u local low barometer, around
which the moisture of the incoming storm
wave concentrates. The experiments are
not conclusive, but the eXperimenters have
earned another appropriation by congress
for further tests.
In May of this year tropical hurricane off
the Florida coast caused a cold wave to
move from north of Montana towards Flor
ida, which totally disorEanizCd a storm
wave then in the Missouri valley. | had
predicted an unusual number of these trop-
ical hurricanes for this year but for want
OF better record of the weather in the
West Indies | an not yet able TO forecast
the dates on which these hurricanes will
enter the Caribbean and Mexican waters,
therefore rs theynever fail to disOrganize
the weather on the continent my fore
casts will not mold good when one of these
tropical hurricanes appears on the Atlantic.
The recent West India hurricane at Martin
ique occurred as the high barometer was
approaching the Mississippi valley from
Montana, and the hurricane made such de-
mauds on this high barometer for its down
pour OF air that its force was greatly in
creased, resulting in extensive frosts in the
Northwestern states, an unusual event for
August. The old school of meteor
ologists at Washington who have
been operating the weather bureau for
twenty years are so welded to their old
theories that they cannot see the real cause
of our early fall ana late spring frosts and
the cold waves of winter. a few years ago
the weather bureau sent an expert meteorol-
ogist to a Northwestern station TO observe
and study these cold waves. Just as well
have sent him to China. If he had
gone TO the West Indies and
gathered all the information posi-
Bile about these tropical storms we would
now have correct information on which to
forecast these cold waves and frosts. and
great progress could be made in long range
forecasts. The greatest benefits derived
from the cold wave observer who was sent
to Minnesota, went to the grain spectators
OF Chicago and New York, who are greatly
interested in gathering, at government eX-
pense, the latest frost news about the
weather.
4 bureau of agricultural meteorologv has
been proposed for the purpose of perfecting
4 system of long range forecasts. Only such
forecasts can be of any practical use to the
producers. The shipping interest and the
cereal spectators reap about all the bene-
fits derived from the information gathered
and the forecasts made by the weather
bereau. and in the case of the Spectator
ii amounts TO 4 tax on the producers for the
. benefit of the cereal spectators. Govern
mCnt maintains signal stations and tele-
graph lines il the extreme Northwest,
which bring early reports of the coming
frOStS, cold waves and sudden changes, and
on that information the grain spectators
take advantage of the producers and ship
pers. Ten hours notice of a great frost is
sufficient for a Chicago or q New York
City grain ring to make i million dollars,
when the country producers and dealers
ought to reap the benefit. 1t does not re-
qure prophetic vision to see that agricul-
tugal interests will soon tire of paving an
expense that is used to take advantage of
them, and unless the weather bureau can
be made useful 10 agriculture the time is
not far away when it will fail to obtain ap-'
preparations. Three planetary meteorolo-
gist and clerk can operate bureau of ag
ricultural meteorology at one-tiftieth of the
expense Of the present weather bureau, and
such bureau would soon perfect a system
of long range forecasts, including the
seasons, frosts. cold waves, the various
kinds of destructive storms and other
changes of the weather, and the effects on
the growing crops. The chief Of this
bureau should be elected biennially by the
first session CT the lower house of each con-
gresS. in order that agricultural interests
may be assured that its work will be con-
Quoted in the interest of the producers in
stead of the Spectators. 1t is not proposed
TO interfere with the work of the present
weather bureau. Let it continue to record
the weather events, but that record must
be made of practical utility to the pro-
ducers. This is question that should be
discussed through the press before con-
gress ASSEMBLIES. Planetary meteorology is
yet in its infancy, but it promises greater
benefits 10 the general public than is posi-
bic TO be derived from the system which has
been sustained at public expense for more
than twenty-one years. w. L. FOSTER.