Weekly journal-miner., 1916-12-06
FORECASTS HELP FARMERS AND
 STOCKNEN
SYSTEM OF DISSEMINATE ING INFORMATION RE- SUITS IN THE SAVING OF CROPS AND STOCK.


 city people reading the weather fore casts in their morning papers realize the importance a warning of rain, snow. frost. or high winds may have for the farmer, fruit grower, or stock raiser in the country. The message which causes the city man merely to debate whether he shall carry an um- brella or take his overcoat, when tele- graphed to country points may be telephoncd instantly from farmer D farmer as news of the greatest agri- cultural importance. Such a message over the phone may cause the entire -~----'----;dc tc become a scene Of i' '~ c''-'-v There is rush to
 --- frlds 70 get in the cro,-
 r.-'~~ ork like beaver,
 .-~c ~odlings in the truck
 " -aper or other protec
 C '~cil frost or preparing to build fire or 'ig'rt smudges in orchards. On ranches every available worker may be dispatched to herd in sheep or stock to protect them from storms. To them the message, which in the city may have foretold only slight personal discomfort, carries tidings of conditions which may mean heavy monetary losses to the unprepared form cr ranch.
 On the other hand forecast pre- dieting good or hot weather for three CT four days to come may send thou sands of reapers into the fields to take advantage of favorable weather, and, as if by magic, change the landscape from one of waving grain or grass in to scene of haycocks, or wheat sheaves.
 The United States weather bureau has perfected special systems and ia cilitics for obtaining and disseminat- ing advance weather news adapted to the protection of growers of many special crops in different sections of the country. In connection with the weather reports received from its 2OQ stations and from 4, 800 other observa ton points, the bureau has establish ed large number of special stations for observing crop weather condi- tions in the corn, wheat, cotton, rice, sugar, and cattle raising districts. The object of this service is to furnish the growers of each of these crops throughout the Summer with informa ton that will enable them to handle the crops to best advantage. The corn and wheat region service covers, for example ,the l5 principal grain States, in which 1t maintains one region center, l3 district centers, and l74 special stations, from which tele- grams are received daily, and reports disseminated. Daily bulletins show ing the temperature and rainfall at these stations are published at Is diff ferent points and distributed to ap- proximately 2,775 different people. Similar services dealing with cotton weather conditions cover the II prin cipal cotton States and consist oi data gathered in Is ccnters through IFS special stations. This service was extended during the Spring of 1916 to the new cotton-growing district in Western Texas and other uncovered fields. The sugar and rice region ser vice heretofore has supplied weather information to the rice growers of Texas and Louisiana and the sugar growers throughout the Southern States. It is expected that special rice service will be inauguratcd in Arkansas.
 The special tobacco service is ccr- ried on in the States of Connecticut and Wisconsin through two centers and l4 stations. Extension Is contcm- plated to give a more complete spe cial tobacco service in important to- bacco districts in Western Kentucky The crop weather service Is particu larly important to alfalfa growers in all the Western States and special three or four-day forecasts are issued throughout the season to alfalfa har- vcsters. Temperature forecasts arc issued in the same way in connection with the harvesting of alfalfa seed, which is dependent on weather condi- tions
 Fruit Region Service.
 The special fruit region weather warning service, which forecasts par ticularly the coming of Spring frosts, is of particular value in the intensive orcharding districts where fruit grow CTS have made preparations by means of smudging or heating or other means to protect their orchards from