The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1893-12-21
TIRAI COLUMNS
= -~rr. .hs = 9. Az~r.cEs!t ug-fsl Expert
meat station q: Raleigh
NoyExHrE Is, 1873.

Service Eo EhN \ ETES Atf Ag a. anu AtsfFbAF az
turAi Industries Of >ortli Caryiins-
By IL Il. Batil- Director = G. A-r.e-.s-ra.
EEp@F-.ae = s. o..
TIE s,are Wea;a~r Ssgt..e = o--ag.rszl a.
~ Meteorological III l=-@l. VI: 49, faGsr--1--..
"a ia.
Ons Of the principal objects q the es-
Enlistment IN i-~, u Weather ser
vice in North Carolina was for the ma
t~r.ai and immediate benefit to the aarri-
cultural and horticultural Industries of
the state. IL j. true that other results
wer" sought and desired. such as a more
perfect knowledge OF our climate as a
whole. by sections, and By separate lo-
calitles- For IN this way. besides Civ
ing prom inence to our uncxceIl lied eli
mate-thc cream If America the
knowledge thus gained could be utilized
in possible adaptation 81 field aud gar
den crops from other portions Of our
own, or Of far-otF countries.
With the exception Of one field crop
tnbacco-there are none Of the stauies
Liable to be materially hurt by a sudden
and decided change OF the weather.
With fruit and vegetables the case Is
quite different, especially during the
early spring, when the liability OF a bit
ing frost is great. when the tender buds.
leaves and flowers of fruit trees and
small fruits can be most easily affected.
and early vegetables - the trucker are
likewise at its mercy: then it : that a
foreknowledge of the coming OF cold
waves and frosts Is Of the gre s,.st adj
vantage. IT is here that tie state
Weather Service lends its Al: - the
trucker and fruit grower in addition TO
the tobacco grower. by informing the III
of the likelihood Of sudden changes il
atmospheric conditions. and thus gives
forewarning of their advent.
Twenty years ago it would have
seemed chimerical II have supposed that
distant points could be told that frost
was expected there thirty-siX hours af
tcrward, yet now such is the efficiency
Of the l.. 5. Weather Bureau attached
to the department of Agriculture at
Washington, and the facility and accu-
racy with which the state of the weather
Is gathered by telegraph from most dis
tant as well as nearer points, and such
Is the knowledge of the science, and the
ability of those engaged in digesting this
information, that different sections of
our common country are brought in the
focus of this investigation, and predic-
tiOns are made with almost startling
accuracy.
The weather bureau gathers these
data, and sends the predictions suitable
to various portions of the country to
different states having Weather Ser
vices, and these in turn transmit them
to separate stations throughout the
state. The system of collecting mete-
geological data originated with the u.
;. War Department as d military neces-
sity. BY this means meteorological
records from most distnat points on the
frontier posts of the extreme west, at
that time connected only by a telegraph
line with civilization, were secured and
invaluable knowledge gained of the rise
and progress of cold waves having their
origin in those bleak regions. AS
write now in the latter part of October
with an outside temperature of So de-
grees T. in Raleigh, we have knowledge
of IL degrees +. in North Dakota. With
this knowledge d frost prediction was
made for this locality two days ahead,
which prediction was subsequently am
ply fulfilled. The Signal Service of the
War Department became in this way
of such great value as an institution in
peace, especially to the agricultural OPP
erations of the country, that it was de
cided to greatly facilitate it's labors, and
to transfer it to the L. S. Department
of Agriculture, and the Weather Bureau
was then formed. The State Weather
Services cooperate with the central Blu
reau, and are indebted to it for facilities
and the means for conducting most OF
their operations.
The n. G. State Weather Service or
ganized as the Meteorological Division
of the n. G. Agricultural Experiment
Station embraces in its work:
l. The Collection of Meteorological
Data. Sixty-two voluntary observers
fhrnY1Thnnt tho tat 70 II,
cOrding local observations and the result
of these data is printed in monthly
meteorological bulletin. These in turn
make up the annual summaries for the
State. The annual means for different
stations and districts are com bined, COW
ering many years. to form nOrmalS. At
some of the stations, records are pre-
served running back sixty or seventy
years with few breaks. The normal
pressure for the State is found to be
S0.08 inches. The normal temperature
is SO degrees, almost exactly that of the
Northern Hemisphere. The normal
rainfall is 1929 degrees.
Q. The issue of a Weekly Weather
Crop Bulletin. Reports are sent in from
| April to October from 27O observers
representing 81 of the So counties show
| ing the effects of the weather upon the
| growing CROPS. 1IlStSc IcpOIGS dtc CHI
| bodied in the weekly crop bulletin.
8. Distribution of Daily Weather Fore
casts, Cold-wave and Frost Warnings.
It is under this section that the agricul-
tural and horticultural interests of the
| State are mainly benefited. AS was
previously said, the knowledge of fore.
| coming frosts and cold waves is of great
value to the trucker and fruit grower
and tobacco grower. 1t enables him tC
prepare for its reception, to cut his to
bacco and protect his small fruits
and trucking crops, as well as his fruit
trees. The Weather Service has in this
way often saved crops in many local.
ties, and seeks to extend further its use.
fulness. Daily forecasts and special
warnings are sent daily except Sunday
by telegraph to SO points. Thirty add
tional points receive ffost warnings
only between March Is and May Is, anG
in the Fall TO November 1. In order
shat stations may be supplied with tele
graphic messages, it is necessary that
the point be reached by the Western
Union telegraph, and that signals be
shown to disseminate these forecasts
In addition to the telegraphic service
many nearby points are reached
through the mails. and 2S1 stations ar,
thus supplied. After reaching a station
the information is disseminated in three
ways; first, by posting the telegram
next, by hosting 81 flags; and last, b,
whistle signals. The hosting of dag
is the most common for everyday prac
tice. -Four flags . by feet are used
the white for fair weather, the blue TO
rain, the black triangular for tempera
ture, and white with black centre squar
for cold wave. An additional flag
sometimes used, combination whit
and blue for local rains. The cut beloy
shows the appearance of the flags.
Evaporated Sweet Potatoes.