Evening star., 1916-07-23
WHAT THE GOVERNMENT is DOING

Uncle Sam has determined to hitch
his weather bureau closer to agricul-
tural conditions, and as
wao4h.- o,d q leng step in this d.
rection has just or
EaImeIS. ganized in the weather
agency new division of agricultural
meteorology. While the work of the
! weather bureau has always been rec
,, ognized as of great Importance to
farmers. and because of this the bu-
reau was made a part of the Agricul-
tura1 Department, its services to agri-
culturists have been in the past chiefly
in warnings of adverse weather con-
ditions. frost and the like. The new
division will go much further, and will
take up the constructive phases of the
problems of plant growth.
One Of the principal aims will be
definitely to correlate weather condi-
tions with specific crops through the
in different parts of the country. In
this work the state experiment sta
tions will be called upon for co-opera-
tion. They will furnish field plots. and
will carefully observe and record re-
suits. Through the experiments the
government experts will inquire into
such practical matters as the
limiting effects of season on the
growth of specific plants in certain To-
calities. the effect of weather and
climate on plant growth. the critical
periods in the development Of various
crops and the effect Of weather changes
during these periods, and the adapta-
bility of plants to conditions In locali-
ties other than those to which they
have been accustomed.
One of the first steps which the new
division will take in the large field
which lies before 1t will be the making
Of survey of the work already done
in agricultural meteorology; for while
there has been heretofore no central
government agency to correlate such
studies. number have been made in
dependently by the various experiment
stations. other bureaus of the Depart
ment of Agriculture and by individual
scientists
The way has also been blazed by the
governments of other countries. and
by strange anomaly the United States
will probably gain more valuable sug-
eestions and inspirations from Russia
than from any other nation. This vast
empire, which, in the great range OF
it's climatic conditions is more nearly
like the United States than any other
country. organized a thoroughly scien-
for work in agricultural meteoroloEy
as long ago as 1897, and has achieved
some strikingly valuable results.
Agricultural specialists are agreed
that the new division Of the weather
bureau will in time gather and dis
seminate information of the greatest
value to American farmers. Some OF
the important results. it Is believed,
will be the definite mapping out of the
areas in which various crops may be
grown. with the probable extension of
the growing regions of many: the adap-
tation of varieties of plants to new
conditions, the working out of i'm
proved cropping plans which will take
advantage of seasonal peculfarities and
the development of knowledge in re-
gard to critical periods in the life of
plants which will make possible the
timing of certain agricultural pro-
cedure so that it will be most advan-
taeeous
The studies will also lead. it is
thought. to greatly increased accuracy
in the predicting Of crop yields. While
the new division will confine its studies
at first largely to the direct effects of
weather conditions on plants. II will
later take up consideration of the re-
lations of weather and climate to insect
and fungus pests. which in turn affect
the growth of plants. 1t Is also prob
able that work will be taken up to de-
termine the Importance of weather con-
ditions in the various animal indus
tries.