The Washington herald., 1907-05-04

Bureau, 100000 American farmers arr
placed IN telephone communication ev-
cry day with hundreds Of trained observ.
ers In the ends of the earth whose COM
bined knowledge and experience enable
them to tell these farmers how to care
Tor their crops Through the same agency
the mariners OF the United States are
warned Of the dangers OF approaching
storms. Through the same Ggency the
dWellers in great river valleys are eau
toned when there is a food descending
upon them.
The Associated Press is looked upon as
being the greatest information collecting
agency In the world. But does the Asso-
ciated Press hear each day from Seydls-
ford. Iceland? The Weather Bureau
does. Also from ST Petersburg in Rus
sia, from Irkutsk in Siberia, from the
Azores Islands. from the Bermudas. from
the British Isles. from nearly every coun-
try IN Europe, from the West Indies,
from dozens of places in Mexico. from
scores in Canada, and from more than
200 cities in the United States.
The information which comes to the
central Office of the Weather Bureau in
Washington from all these places enables
the foreeaster 10 venture a prediction
about what the weather Will be for the
next thirty-siX or forty-eight hours.
Sometimes the forecaster does not hit it,
and there is a pretty general disposition
among readers of newspapers in cities
TO sneer at "OId Prob" The fruit grow
er of Florida, the cranberry grower Of
New Jersey, the mariner OF the Great
Lakes. the tobacco planter of the middle
South-these and many other classes of
Americans remember how many millions
OF dollars the Weather Bureaus predic-
tons have saved them. They do not
sneer. Those persons who have been in
duced % move back from the banks Of
the Ohio and Mississippi rivers because
Of the Weather Bureau food warning,
and have seen the height Of the floods
crest predicted 20 within a few inches,
days and even weeks In advance-they
do not sneer.
Every daily newspaper in the United
States prints each day the official wealth
er forecast If it is left out by accident
the subscribers are sure TO register a
kick The forecast cards are sent to
thousands and thousands Of persons to
whom they viii get in time TO be Of
benefit, and are posted IN every pOst-Ofice
which can be reached by them Little
cards with the forecast stamped on them
are sent out from central post-oficesa along
every rural free delivery route in the
country where the carrier leaves late
enough In the day 10 carry that DAYS
forecast. Through the medium Of the
newspapers. the flags and lanterns dis
played, and the cards posted, every city
uWeller in the United states may have
the benefit of the weather forecast with
out any particular effort OF expense.
But the farmer Is the man who needs
the information most, and il is 10 reach
the farmer that Prof. Willis /. Moore and
his assistants are striving. The telephone
has solved the problem in the Middle
West and along the Atlantic coast. It's
rapid extension through rural districts |
makes it Of increasing importance each /
day. Telephone companies are requested /
10 aid the bureau in the dissemination |
OF this useful information. Most of them (
gladly accede. Some of them refuse and /
want money. Those who go in for CO. 1
operation advertise the connection with /
the weather service as d feature 10 in /
scribers, The telephone service is man /
aged in this fashion: The nearest official /
weather office telephones TO the central l
Office Of the telephone system the fore
cast, II is then distributed TO each cen
tral exchange in the system, and central" /
ever-obliging. viii be delighted TO tell any
inquirer over the phone what the wealth /
er outlook may be- In case of a hurr.- /
cane or cold wave warning, there is a |
general caIl and each subscriber is in |
formed. SO that he may have ample time ]
10 protect himself. his stock, and his /
crops.
If is a cold wave warning. the citrus /
grower in Florida or California. who fears /
The calamity of a frost viii protect his |
grange and lemon trees by building
smudge fires and making a cloud of
smoke that viii hang like a mantle over
The orchard and prevent frost. If it Is
the cranberry grower Of New Jersey or
Wisconsin, he will flood his bogs and 60
20 sleep, for only heavy freeze can hurt
his crop. II It is the tobacco planter, he
viii cover his young plants with canvass
and keep out the cold. The strawberry
gardener VIII throw straw over his beds
All OF them viii sleep tight, for Uncle
Sans Weather Bureau has heard from
the four corners Of the world that day:
it has found where the storms are. and
In what direction they are travelling: /
where the low" ana high" atmospheric
pressures are, and where those centers
are travelling and from all this the bu-
reau has deduced the information which
has saved that farmers years work from
destruction. Does the farmer sneer at
odd Prob?' Not much.
The 200 regularly equipped observator-
les In the country are supplemented by
more than 5000 voluntary cooperative
stations at which temperature and rain
fan observations are taken. Besides the
daily weather forecasts, based upon the
observations taken twice daily. at s a. m.
and p. m, Washington time, the Wealth
er Bureau issues "a daily map from each
Of its principal stations showing In de-
tail the atmospheric conditions over the
country obtaining each morning.
monthly weather review is issued, show
ing the weather conditions for the month
over the United States and adjoining
countries. and containing elaborate me-
teorlogical charts and tables In the
eliElatOlogical service there are forty-four
sections. nearly corresponding TO the
States of the Union. and these compile
and publish each month bulletins show
ing IN detail the climatic conditions for
the month OF each Of the sections. In
addition TO these. the bureau issues oc-
Casionai bulletins containing the larger