Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1916-12-03
USEFULNESS OF
WEATHER BUREAU
What official Predictions
Mean to the Farmer, Stock
man and Fruiter.

WASHINGTON, Dec. Few citY
people reading the weather forecasts
In their morning papers realize the liii-
portance of 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 tolcgraphcd
to country points, may be telephoned
instantly from farmer to farmer as
news of the greatest agricultural i'm
portance. such Il message over the
phone may cause the entire country
side 10 become scene of intense ac-
tility. There is a 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 paper or other protection from
frost, or preparing to build fires e,
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 then.
the message. which IN the city may
have foretold only slight personal dis
comfort carries tidlngs OF conditions
which may mean heavy monetary
losses to the unprepared farm or
ranch.
On the other hand. forecast pre-.
dieting good or hot weather for three
or four days to come may send tnou.
sands of rcapers into the fields to
take advantage Of favorable weather,
and, as if 10y magic. change the land
scape from one OF waving grain Or
grass into a scene OF haycock5 or
wheat sheaves.
Warning for crop Saving. e..
The United States weather bureau
has perfected special systems and ia
clities for obtaining and disseminate
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 two
hundred stations and from 800 other
observation points. the bureau has eS-
tablished large number of speciai
stations for observing crop weather
conditions in the corn. wheat, cotton
sugar, rice and cattle-raisng DIS
tricts. The object of this service is to
furnish the growers of each OF these
crops throughout the summer with in
formation that will enable them {,
handle the crops to best advantage.
The corn and wheat region service
covers. for example, the Is principal
grain states. in which Il maintains one
region center. ~ district centers and
ia special stations. from which tele-
grams are received daily and reports
disseminated. Daily bulletins snow
ing the temperature and rainfall at
these stations are published at rs, dit
ferent points and distributed to ap
proNimately 2,775 different people.
Similar services dealing with cotton,
weather conditions cover the II prin-
cipal cotton states and consist of data
gathered in 8 centers thro l75 spe-
cial stations. THIS service was extend =
ed during the spring of 1916 to the
new cotton growing district in west
ern Texas and other uncovered fields
The sugar and rice region service
heretofore has supplied weather infor-
nation to the rice growers of Texas
and Louisiana. and the sugar growers
thruout the southern states. 1t is ex-
pected that II special rice service will
he inaugurated in Arkansas.
The special tobacco service is car
ried on In the states of Connection,
and Wisconsin thru two centers and
Ii stations. Extension is contemplated
to give more complete special to-
bacco service in important tobacco
districts in western Kentucky. The
crop weather service is particularly
important to alfalfa growers in all the
western states and special three OF
four-day forecasts are issued thruout
the season to alfalfa harvesters. Tenn
perature forecasts are issued in the
same way in connection with the har-
vesting of alfalfa seed, which is de.
pendent on weather. conditions.
Special Fruit Region Service.
Tho 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
ers have made preparations by means
of smudging or heating or other means
to protect their orchards from frost
This service consists Of several sepa-
rate branches. The cranberry servio,
in eastern Massachusetts and southern