Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1892-02-25
TALKS ABOUT THE WEATHER
Meeting of the Farmers In
stitute at Newark.
WORK OF THE WEATHER BUREAU
How the Daily Forecasts Are
Prepared.


Special Correspondence of Gazette and Journal
NEWARK. Feb. 19.--1hc meeting of the
New Castle county Farmers Institute here
Yesterday was quite slimly attended in
comparison with those held recently. 1t
was somewhat after 2 o'clock when the
president, DR.. John J. Black, called the
SfSnf Ssea e WSy oFSsr webS bSong obn hose oben
Henry Higgins Delaware CLARK, Dir. A. y.
Neale, Arnold NJ Naudain, Charles Wal
ton, Prof. NJ. II. Beckwith, Prof. +. u.
Chester, Prof. W. II. Bishop, the Rev.
Mr.. Miller, DR.. William r. Skinner,
James Rankin, Mr.. Kittenhouse, Il. w.
Dawson, William Ellison, David Heyd
and 9. @. Toppin.
Penny, the chemist of the experiment
station, who was to read paper on milk
and its products was unprepared and the
only formal address was that os Prof. NJ.
IL. Bishop on weather, storm laws, the
signal service, &c. This took about an hour
and was accompanied with weather charts,
storm maps projected upon screen by the
aid of an oxy-hydrogen or calcium light,
the oratory being completely darkened for
the purpose. The address impaired much
information upon a subject known little
about by most of those present or even
the generality of people.
At the conclusion of this paper there
was brief discussion Of the merits of the
COW pea vine as an article of food for
milch cows. Mr.. Naudain, who had used
it for some time experimentally, was pres
ent, and on being asked for his views on
the matter, said its use, so far he was con-
cerned, had been decidedly beneficial. His
cattle averaged one-half pound more of
butter per week per COW after feeding on
it. Before commencing to feed the vine to
his stock he noticed prevalence among
them of a sore mouth affection, which
soon disappeared after short trial of this
food ration. His experience with it had
led him to increase previous order for
quantity of the vine.
In connection with this the matter of
ensilage came up for discussion. Lately,
as DR.. Neale explained, there has arisen in
the agricultural world considerable doubt
as to the advisability of feed the product
of the silo to horses because in so many
cases in Delaware, as well as elsewhere,
horses feeding on this kind Of food have
died OF what has been described and looked
upon as cerebro spinal meningitis. lnves-
legations were under way, but he could
not as yet say whether feeding horses with
any silo product was in itself dangerous,
but from the observations ne had recently
made he would emphatically not feed
horses upon it. The connection of this
deadly and prevalent disease with the use
|. of ensilage was so recent that he was not
Fprepared ITO express a positive opinion
without a careful investigation of the
subject.
Prof. Bishop in his paper on the
weather, its laws. &C., after describing
some of the instruments used by
meteorologists in determining atmospheric
effects, &C., gave the following informa-
ton relating to the organization and work
of the weather bureau of the United
| States.
The beginning of this bureau was in
| 1870, when Congress made appropriation
! for the establishment of the department
| for the benefit of commerce. On Novem-
| Der lst at 1876 a. M, the first reports were
taken at "a stations i'll the country and
sent by wire to Washington. Probabilities
| for the next eight hours were then made
from the tri-daily readings. Now some
| predictions are made with some degree of
accuracy for from As to Y hours in ad-
vance. Previous to the transfer Of the
weather bureau from the war to the agri-
cultural department, that is, in June, '0l,
| there were about l50 observing stations in
| the United States. From these reports the
probabilities are made up for the ensuing
"a hours and telegraphed to over t. 200 sta
tions where the signals are displayed. The
weather maps are now printed at 70 dit-
|
For the use of the forecast officials at
| Washington charts are prepared from the
| q. m. and p. m. reports of each day,
showing Q) general weather conditions,
| (2) pressure changes and departures from
the normal, (3) temperature changes and
departures from normal, az cloud condi-
| tions, maximum and minimum temper
ature changes and local weather forecasts,
| (5l dew points and changes. These mes
sages are sent at $50 q. m. and p. M, and
| take precedence over all other dispatches
at that hour. To save expense and time a
system of cipher has been devised of
| which the following is sample; Boston,
fanfoot, request, begct, holdfast, moral,
periidy, null" Translated this means
that at Boston at 8 a. IN. the barometer
stands at 2932 inches; the temperature is
3So, wind from the west and velocity II
| miles an hour weather cloudy; rain during
| past II hours .0l inch; maximum tempera-
ture, 44o local predictions, fair for follow
ing "a hours: dew point 32o; maximum
wind velocity past "a hours ~ miles per
| hour. Special forecasts to individuals for
certain dates and localities are sent when
requested at the applicants request, fact
| not generally known.
Upon the fact that storms follow certain
fairly defined general tracks is based much
of the work of the weather bureau. A
storm is decided or violent disturbance
of the atmosphere which moves from place
to place. This may or may not be accom-
| panied by rain or snow but the area must
move from point and there must be q
transfer of air. This may he merely local
rs our summer thunder storms lasting an
hour or general, travelling for days across
the country. The severity of n storm Is
not always indicated by an abnormally
high or low barometer, but by the barome
trio gradient. This latter indicates the
change of bur, pressure in given distance
and the winds are as u rule proportional Il
the steepness of the gradient.
The general drift of the atmosphere is
from west TO east. Practically the atmos-
phere is divided into series of irregular
waves or areas of high and low pressure
In the latter-known generally as cyclonit
sturms--the winds have a spiral inward
and upward course the circulation being
contrary to the motion OF the hands of d
watch. In the anti-cyclonic or high press
ure area the movement is also spiral, but
in an opposite direction from that of the
winds of the cyclonic area. Now it is evi
dent that the nearer the areas of high and
low presaures and thcgreater the difference
in pressure the more rapid will be the flow
of air from one to the other and the more
severe the storm.
The greater number of American storms
develop in the south slope of the Rocky
Mountains and small number in Tho
Caribbean sea, Gulf of Mexico or tht
Pacific. In general land storms which
travel slowly are less violent than til,
rapid moving ones. storms move much
more rapidly over the United States thar
elsewhere. The average velocity of low
pressure storm is 25 miles per hour from
June to September, rising to 20 miles ir
| October, 30 in November 80 in December