Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1910-08-26

= method Of exact records of weather
conditions as basis of determina-
ton as to the probable success of dry
farming operations in any locality.
Lacking such data there is always
: tendency to assume that the rain
fall of the past season is the normal
one for that section and to be either
over-confident of success or to aban-
don what may be a perfectly legit-
innate and proper field of effort. An
average annual rainfall means, of
course, that in some seasons that To-
cality receives ore than . inches,
perhaps even as much as 30 or 25
inches, and that on other years it
receives less, perhaps no more than
Z or inches. Now the universal ten
dency of enthusiasts in any line of
development is to push well out to
the limits of achievement in their
particular field. Given a year or two
of above the average rainfall, then.
and the areas of possible profitable
crop production are widely extended.
When there follow, as is inevitable,
seasons of average or less than aver
age rainfall, the lot of the pioneer
in these regions is most unhappy. On
the other hand, if we were to linn
it the extension of our dry farming
areas to those sections where the
least annual rainfall which ever
comes is well within the amount
needed for profitable farming we
should work a grave injustice to the
homeseeker and leave idle vast areas
of food-producing and life-sustain-
ing land
Enough has been said to empha-
size the value and the need of accur-
ate rainfall records. How are these
to be obtained? In our own investi-
cations, we have carefully consulted
the records of the United States
Weather Bureau for our own state
We are establishing thirty new sta
lions for weather observations in
| Eastern Washington, each with it's
! full complement of rain guage, max
| fmum and minimum thermom eters
and record blanks But | believe that
the heavy expense of installation of
such stations ought not to devolye
upon our research stations. The
| Weather Bureau service is supported
! by the Federal government for the
| purpose of this and similar work
! and is organized as a part of the
! Department of Agriculture. A large
part of its energys and funds are de-
voted to advance predictions of the
weather conditions based upon obser-
ations taken throughout the country.
Such predictions are doubtless of ben
etlt to commerce and shipping in
| many parts of the country but have
only limited practical value to the
farmers of the interior and purely
agricultural states. | believe that in
the purely agricultural districts of
the country the energies and funds
of the Weather Bureau could much
more profitably be spent in accum-
ulating and disseminating the infor-
nation concerning weather con-
ditions and their relations to crop
| production the need of which | have
| endeayored to point out. BY so doing
l believe that this bureau would
more thoroughly perform its intend
ed functions as an intergal part of
! the Department of Agriculture.
With this view of the needs of the
situation and the open possibility for
the Weather Bureau to be of immense
service to the agricultural sections of
the county, especially where the eX-
tension of dry farming territory is
contemplated, l have presented to
the Dry Farming Congress a resolu-
ton urging upon the Weather Bureau
officials closer cooperation with
the several state experiment stations
in order to make available for agri-
cultural extension work the great
bulk of weather observations which
may be taken in those states. | be-
! lieVe that the first step in such CO.
! operation should be the location, at
each state experiment station, of an
experienced Weather Bureau man,
whose chief duties should be to cor
relate the present records of the
bureau with the agricultural needs of
the section served by that station.
Another i'm ortant duty of such Off
cial would be to carefully supervise
the installation, care, and use of me-
THEOLOGICAL instruments by the vol
untary observers at the several sta
! lions now in existence, and the estab-
! lishment of new stations in localities
where the weather records are need
ed as a basis for further agricultur-
/ 1 Il Il, oct