The Minneapolis journal., 1903-04-02
KEEPS TAB ON CROPS
The Weather Bureau Is About to
Resume It's Weekly !,
| Bulletins.
Information Thus Disseminated Is
Highly Valued by Brokers
'..- and Merchants.

It was partly cloudy yesterday at
Winnebago City, and there was trace
of rain at. Montevideo, MINI. For the
first time since last September the United
States government felt much concerned
| about these facts. It fastened to print
them in stately bulletin and to scatter
them before a waiting world. Because
yesterday the government began again it's
annual series of crop bulletins. The
trace" of rain at Montevideo, as expec-
tant readers understood, signihed that the
soil thereabouts was just that much bet
ter prepared for seed wheat. The Hpartly
cloudy sky at Winnebago City suggested
rain, and rain suggested early plowing,
and early plowing suggested an early
seeding, and-but who may tell the full
magniticence of dreams on change?
In order, then, that everybody inter-
ested may know exactly "how's crops
without visiting in spirit all the village
groceries between Pennsylvania and Colo
|rado, Arkansas and Manitoba, the fed
ieral government will issue again this year
it's Corn and Wheat Region Bulletins.
They were introduced in 1895. One OF
the bulletins is daily, the other weekly. !.
) The daily bulletin is issued at O'Clock
a. m. 1t reports the highest and the low
est temperature during the preceding
twenty-four hours, the rainfall in inches
} ana hundredths Of an inch, and the state
of the weather. at the hour of observa'
tion. Such reports are made TO the cen
t trail station by all substations In each O.
7 the nine districts into which the corr
, and wheat region is divided. The cen
trail station prints and distributes the bul
letin with separate reports for each or TN
= substations in that district and with al
g average report for each of the other dis
= tricts.
In the Minneapolis district, in charge o
+ Section Director Il. S. OutraIn, there ar
X twenty-six reporting stations, as follows
a Alexandria, Campbell, Crookston Detro1
q CITY, Duluth, Grand Meadow, MonteV1dee
y Moorhead, New Ulm, Park Rapids, $
q :, Paul, Winnebago City and Worthingto
, in Minnesota; La Crosse IN Wisconsin
- Bismarck, Devils Lake, langdon, Lar
0 more. Lisbon, Pembina, in North Dakots
Huron, Aberdeen Millbank, Mitchell an
Redheld, in South Dakota.
BEGINNING April IS, when the crops al
actually in or growing, Mr.. Outram will Is
r. sue each week until the close OF Septen
ber, long, gossipy bulletins telling every
thing he knows about wheat, corn an
creatures He will say, for exampl
=, much as he said last year, that "Ihere
49, ~. fine growing weather in Olmsted county
-, that 1.-The western part Of Norman cou1
- ~ ty is full of water,' and that "A eres
o. q, many young pigs have been lost IN Roe
49, 80 county" Reports on liye stock, howeve
ar are rare.
s o. But the section director observes ia
tidious courtesy in. his anliable dlsclo
f. ures He avoids all comparisons. +
~ leaves to the statistical division OF Il
to agricultural department the invid1ous du
of telling everybody, about the tenth
,v each month"; that, positively the aVera
". condition of the spring wheat crop
~ only 80 per cent as against 80 per ce
er a year before.
til Mr. Outram's articles, so pleasing a.
air polite, are in great demand. He n
many "Old Subscribers" among the boa
of trade men throughout the COUNT
among the grain dealers, the stock spec
~ lators, the bankers. The country pos
1I tN masters prefer Outram to Mr.. Doolt
- They even paste the Minneapolis stor
"a on a wall so that visitors may read the
A demand somewhat curious comes frt
the jobbing houses of the twin cit1
. Chicago and New York. The wholesale
like to study up Mr.. Outram's opinic
Ted about hay and wheat and broadcast SEE
ing' and rust and chinch bugs, in or
to know whether the firm can believe
customers letters about northwest
the crops If Mr.. Outram thinks the cr'
to are really going to be good, the Jobb
his will sell more goods on credit than tt
3 a would be willing to sell if the Minneap
oracle were depressed with doubt.