The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-05-27
WEATHER AND THE FARMER.
Chief Moore on the Value of the Ser
vice to AgricuIture.

vice TO Agriculture.
The Morning News has received, through
Weather Observer H. B. Boyer an inter
esting and instructive sketch by Chief
Observer Willis L. Moore upon the rela-
tions of the weather service to farming.
He treats of the weather bureau service
under three heads. % The forecast ser
vice for predicting storms, cold waves,
and frosts. q The river and flood service
for predicting floods. 90 The climate and
crop service for recording and presenting
the details of climate and the weekly and
monthly conditions of crops.
While the subject of weather forecasts
| was considered in the sixties, it was not
until Feb. g. 1870, that Congress decided
to inaugurate a tentative weather ser
vice. For twenty years after that date
the work was carried on by the chief
signal officer of the army as the meteorol-
ogical division of his office Finally, by
the act of Oct. l, 1890 the weather bureau,
as such, was officially recognized and was
transferred TO the department of agricul-
ture, the general details of its organiza-
ton being defined in that act.
The weather bureau now has $50 fully
equipped meteorological stations, with
from one to ten employees each; 253 sta
tions especially equipped for the display
of danger warnings to mariners; 261 sta
tons for the making of daily Geographic
reports of temperature and rainfall in the
cotton, corn, and wheat regions; over
1900 stations where volunteer observers
make daily records of temperature and
rainfall with standard instruments, and
about 10000 crop correspondents who re-
port weekly to state centers.
To give notice of the approach and force
of storms seems to have been especially
in mind by those who in 1870 framed the
act of Congress defining the work. All
the other details have been added year
after year, until now the weather service
has probably five times as many employees
as during the first year of its establish
ment, and does twenty times as much
work annually as was done then.
After giving an account of how the
weather forecasts are made from observa-
tons taken at the same moment of time
in all parts of the country, Chief Moore
goes into the subject of the utility of these
forecasts TO the farmer. The general
farmer probably has less oc-
casion to consult the fore
casts than the truck grower or
those who may be engaged in the produc-
ton of single crop such, for example,
as cotton tobacco, sugar cane etc.
The region devoted to the production of
fruits and vegetables embraces a large
portion of the Middle and South Atlantic
seaboard and Gulf states. In this large
territory accurate warnings of killing
frosts in the late fall and early spring are
of very great value. 1t is also important
to know especially after Feb l, when
there is likelihood of the temperature of
night time falling 10 10 degrees Fahrenheit
The weather bureau performs a valuable
service in distributing information in this
respect.
There is included in the pamphlet a de-
scrjption of the methods used to prevent
don Hxrf
Harmon, one of the forecast officials in
Washington.
II may be said that the most effective
means of securing immunity from dam
age by frost is to place yourself in tele-
graphic connection with the official charg-
ed with the distribution of weather bureau
frost warnings, and then be prepared 10
flood, spray, or cover with screens, straw.
or other material, or else to start smudge
fires. OF course, these means are only
effective for the protection of limited
areas.
Frost warnings are succeeded in the late
fail by warnings of severe cold waves
The latter are valuable to the farmer in
case he is shipper of his own produce
Cold wave warnings are of great value
also to stock raisers, but these are notices
that everybody likes to get, especially
about the time the thermometer walks up
to the 9S-degree mark.
forecasts, 1921 places are served daily at
the expense of the government by tele-
graph or telephone, while occasional warn
ings of unusual character, such as cold
waves, frost and hurricanes and in Cali
fornia special rain warnings are also tele-
graphed at government expense to over
1900 points. In addition to this paid ser
vice, more than 81 900 addresses are served
daily with the weather forecast by tele-
graph, telephone mail and railway train
service, without COST 10 the government
except for stationery, etc.
The river and flood service is of advant-
age in more ways than one 1t not only
helps the farmer whose crops lie along
river banks. and the river boatmen so or
ten dependent on a rise in the river, but
il is of great service to properly owners,
particularly when great floods are appre-
hended. 1t is said S1o,0O0,OOO worth of stock
and movable property and no doubt many
lives were saved by the warning predic-
tions of the great flood in the Lower Mis-
sissippi last year
The climate and crop reports which are
published weekly in almost every county
in every state are the result of the volun-
tary observers, who make daily reports
to their central office. These reports go
in brief TO Washington and the general
crop report made up there once a month is
telegraphed all over the country
Chief Moore devotes much space to the
value of the work of the voluntary OBJ
server the principles of weather forecast
ing and the explanation Of charts.
BY preserving the weather charts each
day and noting the movements of the
thighs and lows" he says, any inteli-
gent person can make al accurate fore
cast for himself. always remembering that
the lows as they drift toward him from
the West bring warm weather and some-
times rain or snow, and that as they pass
n ObcpTUqtiOU fol
lowing in the tracks Of the lows" will
bring cooler and probably fair weather.
-s-e-s-
House Caucus Postponed.