Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1903-07-03
WILL PROTECT
THE GROWERS
Judge John A. GayDor Receives
Letter to That Effect From
Supt. Moore.
THE BUREAU TO STUDY
WEATHER CONDITIONS
Representative Will Attend the
Annual Cranberry Growers
Meeting.

Judge John A. Gaynor received an
answer to letter to Chief Moore, OF
the Weather Bureau, in which he
states that the department intends
hereafter To study more fully the
weather conditions in Wood county.
1t has been the aim OF Mr.. Gaynor to
assist the cranberry men in over
coming their greatest enemy-frost.
For some time he has felt that the
weather bureau in the predictions of
frosts was guided by the observations
at their stations, which are usually
located on high grounds. He knew
from repeated experiments that the
marshes were much lower than at the
places OF the predictions. In writing
to the Washington bureau he desired
to impress this fact ON the officials
and wanted to know whether the
department could not predict frosts
for the marshes when there were no
frosts on the high lands.
The occasion that brought about
the following correspondence was the
departments failure in predicting the
killing frost Of June IL.
Judge Gaynor's Letter.
GRAND RAPIDS, WIS, June %, 1903.
WILLIS L. MOORE,
Chief of Weather Bureau,
Washington. ID. O.
DEAR SIR:-Our cranberry growers
feel very grateful to you for the
personal interest that you have
always shown in their industry. The
cultivation of cranberries has made
wonderful progress since you visited
the marshes. At that time we were
almost wholly dependant on wild
vines. 95 per cent. of those were
destroyed by the forest fires of lS94-5.
Now 95 per cent. of the cranberries
produced in this state are grcwn on
planted vines, and they are usually
planted with direct reference to pro.
tecting them from frosts by flooding
from an adjacent reservoir.
The great enemies Of this industry
are frosts, insects, and fire, but Of
these three, the greatest is frost.
When you were here you impaired
to our growers a strong impulse to
study frost indications. After your
visit many Of them began to study the
dew point, barome trio pressure, the
temperature, the possibility of clouds
and wind as they never had studied
them before, and 1 think their
increased intelligence along that line
has had much to do with the success
and development of the industry at
this place.
What We complain of in the weather
warning of June IL, is not the failure
of the department to predict frost, but
the promise of rising temperature.
Since you were here few facts, as
follows, have been well established
by the observations of nearly every
grower:
l. On clear, cool, still night the
temperature on our marshes, in their
normal condition, is from 8 to 10
degrees lower than in the surround
ing farming country.
2. With the wind blowing four or
five miles an hour, or greater, this
difference is much less.
3. On cloudy night the difference
in temperature between the marsh
lands and the farming country, is
much less than on clear night.
4. A single cloud passing over will
cause the temperature to rise 3, or
degrees, and as soon as it has past
the thermometer will rapidly drop
until it has reached a decline that
appears to be about the same as it
would have been il the cloud had not
past over and caused this previous
rise.
When the department can predict
a temperature of 40 degrees at the
Voluntary station at Grand Rapids
on clear, still atmosphere with the
dew point below 80 degrees, 1t can