The weekly tribune and the Cape County herald. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1914-1918, 1916-12-01
What the Weather Forecasts to the Farmer

Washington, D. c., Nov. 27.-Fev
city people reading the weather fore
casts in their morning papers realize
the Importance a warming of rain
snow, frost, or high winds may have
for the farmer, fruit grower, or stool
raiser in the country. The message
which causes the city man merely tc
debate whether he shall carry an unl-
brella OF take his overcoat, when tere-
grapAed to country points may be
telcphoned instantly from farmer to
farmer as news of the greatest agrf-
cultural Importance. Such a message
over the phone may cause the entire
country to become a scene Of intensive
activity. There is rush to hay or
grain yields to get in the crop or, in
the spring, work like beavers covering
young seedlings in the truck gardens
with paper or other protection from
frost, 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 personal dis
comfort, carries tidings of conditions
which may mean heavy monetary loss
es 70 the unprepared farm or ranch.
On the other hand a forecast pre-
dieting good or hot weather for thres
or four days to come may send thou
sands of reapers into the field to take
advantage of favorable weather, and,
rs if by magic, change the landscape
from one Of waving grain or grass into
q scene of haycocks, or wheat sheaves.
The L. 8. Weather Bureau has per-
fected special systems and facilities
for obtaining and disseminating adj
vance weather news adapted to the
protection of growers of many special
crops in different sections of the coun-
try. In connection with the weather
reports received from its 200 stations
and from 900 other observation points
the bureau has established large
rumber Of special stations for observ-
ing crop weather conditions in the
Corn. wheat. cotton. sugar rice anG
cattle raising districts. The objecc
o. this service is to furnish the grow
crs of each of these crops throughout
thc summer with information that will
enable them to handle the crops to
best advantage. The corn and wheac
region service covers, for example. the
u principal grain States, in which i
maintains l region center, Is district
centers. and ia special stations. from
which kilograms are received daily,
and reports disseminated. Daily bullc-
tins showing the temperature and rain
fall at these stations are published at
IS different points and distributed to
approximately 2775 different people.
Similar services dealing with cotton
weather conditions cover the II prin-
opal cotton States and consist Of data
gathered in Is centers through 175
.9ecial stations. This service was eT-
tended during the spring Of 1916 to
he new cotton growing district in
Western Texas AMI other uncovered
i.elds. The sugar and rice region serv-
i,c heretofore has supplied weather in
'nrmation to the rice growers OF Tex
5 and Louisiana and the sugar grow
c@s throughout the Southern States. 1t
IS expected that special rice service
Ill be inaugurated in Arkansas.
The special tobacco service is carried
On in the States Of Connecticut and
Wisconsin through 2 centers and II
stations. Extension is contemplated
to give more complete special tobac-
60 service in important tobacco dis
tricts in Western Kentucky. The crop