Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1916-12-04

Washington. Dec. 3.-Few city peo-
pie reading the weather forecasts in
their morning papers realize the i'm
portance 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 umbrella or
take his overcoat, when telegraphed to
country points may be telephoned in
stantly from farmer to farmer as news
of the greatest agricultural import
ance. Such a message over the phone
may cause the entire countryside to
become 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
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 to the uLprepared farm or ranch.
On the other hand a forecast pre-
dieting good or hot weather for three
or 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 into
a scene of haycockS, or wheat sheavcs.
The U. S. 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 $500 other observation
points. the bureau has established a
large number of special stations for
observing crop weather conditions in
the corn. wheat. cotton. sugar, rice,
and cattle raising districts. The OBJ
ject 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 Is principal grain states,
in which it maintains one region CEN
ter. 13 district centers, and ia special
stations, from which kilograms are
received daily. and reports dissent
mated. Daily bulletins showing the
temperature and rainfall at these sta
tons are published at Is different
points and distributed to approximate
ly PITS different people. Similar SER
vices dealing with cotton weather con-
ditions cover the IL principal cotton
states and consist of data gathered in
IS centers through IT'S special stations.
This service was extended during the
spring of 1916 to the new cotton grow
ing district in western Texas and 9TH
ar uncovered fields. The sugar and
rice region service heretofore has sup
piled weather information to the rice
growers Of Texas and Louisiana and
the sugar growers throughout the
Southern States. It is expected that a
special rice service will be inaugur-
ated In Arkansas.
The special tobacco service is car
ried on in the states Of Connecticut
and Wisconsin through two centers
and IA stations. Extension is con-
templated to give a more complete
special tobacco service in important
tobacco 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-
vesters. Temperature forecasts are
issued in the same way in connection
with the harvesting of alfalfa seed,
which is dependent on weather condi-
lions.
Special 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
ers have made preparations by means
of smudgins or heating or other means