The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1916-11-30
WEATHER REPORT
MUCH TO FARMER
THIS FEATURE OF FEDERAL
SERVICE GROWING IN IN.
PORTANCE- PROTECTS
AL KINDS OF CROPS.

Washington, d. C.-Few city peo-
pie reading the weather forecasts in
their morning papers realize the i'm
portance 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 umbrella
or take his overcoat, when telegraph
ed to country points may be telephon-.
ed instantly from farmer to farmer
as news of the greatest agricultural
Importance.
Such message over the phone may
cause the entire countryside to be-
come a scene of intensive activity.
There is rush to hay Or grain fields
to get in the crop, or in the spring,
work like beavers covering young
seedlings in the truck gardens with
or preparing to build fires or light
smudges in orchards. On ranches
every available worker may be dis
patched to herd in sheep or stock to
protect them from storms. To them
the message, which in the city may
have foretold only slight discomfort,
carries tidings of conditions which
rnay mean heavy monetary losses to
the unprerared farm or ranch.
On the other hand, forecast pre-
dieting good or hot weather for hree
or four days 20 come may send thous-
ands of Teapers into the fields to take
advantage Of favorable weather, and,
as if by magic, change the landscape
from one oil waving grain or grass in
to scene OF haycocks, or wheat
sheaves.
The U. S. weather bureau has per-
fected special cvstems and facilities
for obtaining and disseminating adj
vance weather news adapted Il the
protection OF growers of many spe-
cial crops in different sections of the
country. In connection with the wea-
Their reports received from its 200
stations and from $500 other obser-
walton points. the bureau has estah-
lished large number Of special sta
lions for observing crop weather crn-
ditions in the corn, wheat. cetan,
sugar, rice, and cattle raising dis
tricts. The obiast of this service is
To furnish the growers OF each of
these crops throughout the summer
with information that will enable
them to handle the crops to best adj
vantage.
The corn and wheat region service
lowers faS example,, the Is principal
)erain states. in which it maintains enc
region center, Is district centers. and
l74 special stations, from which tele-
grams are received daily. and reicrts
disseminated. DAILY bulletins show
ing the temperature and rainfall at
these stations are published at Is
different points and distributed to an
rrsximately s.7Y5 different people.
smilar services dealing with cotton
weather conditions cover the Principal
cotton safes and consist CT data gath
erred in l3 canlrs through 175 special
stations. TniS service was extended
during the spring of 1916 to the new
cotton-growing district in western
4 Texas and other uncovered fields The
! sugar and rice region service here
tcfore has supplied weather informa-
ton to the rice growers OF Texas and
Louisiana and tho sugar growers
throughout the Southern states. 1t
is expected that special rice service
will be inaugurated in Arkansas.