The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-02-28
RADIO IS USED
FOR NEWS Of
CROPS
Agriculture Department Gives
Much Valuable Information
Through Broadcasting
BY j. L. MEDDOFF.
International News Service.

Of comprehensive radio program
covering the entire country pro.
vides practical aspect Of harness
ing radio for service and utility.
Furnishing market reports, wealth
er information and general agricul-
tural news, this service, undertaken
with the approval of the interde-
partmental radio committee, in
charge of all Government radio
brOadcaeting, is rendering an eff
cient service of incalculable value
to the farmers of America.
Federal crop and market reports
were first prepared and broadcast
by radio-telegraph, in cooperation
with the radio laboratory of the
Commerce Departments Bureau of
Standards. The reports were sent
out by this laboratory for four
months, covering a radius Of APP
proximately 100 miles.
Whole u. s. Covered.
They were successful. however.
and today. less than two years
since their Inauguration, the entire
area Of the United States east of
the Rocky Mountains and prac-
tically all Of the Pacific coast area
from Washington to California is
covered with daily broadcasts OF
these reports by hfgh-powered radio
telegraph stations.
With the further development OF
radio and its extension to radio
telephony, the crop and market re-
ports were also released to selected
broadcasting stations of this type.
At the present time the radio crop
and market news service OF the
Bureau of Agricultural Economies
is handled by four high-powered
radio-telegraph stations of the Navy
Department, five strong radio-tele-
graph and one radio-telephone sta
ton Of the Postoffice Department
and seventy-eight radio-telephone
stations belonging to colleges, State
agricultural departments, electrical
companies, newspapers, stockyards
and other concerns interested.
Radio Storm Warnings.
The Weather Bureau has had an
effective distribution Of it's informa-
ton by telegraph for several years.
but 1t was only In the last year
that radio has been utilized in send
ing warnings over land. sea and
through air. The end of the last
fiscal year found ninety-eight sta
tons in thirty-five States broadcast
ing daily weather forecasts and
warnings by radio-telephone. These
stations also disseminate weekly re-
ports on the effect of weather on
crops and highways and other in
formation issued by the Weather
Bureau.
In cooperation with the office of
communications of the Navy De-
partment, the Weather Bureau has
made wide extensions in the radio
bulletin service for the special bene-
fit of marine and aviation inter-
ests. Each day major bulletins are
sent out covering the Pacific, At
lantic and Gulf coasts and the
Great Lakes region.
For the aid of aviators special
upper-air forecasts are broadcast
from all naval radio stations in
fourteen zones, except two. Army,
navy and postoffice officials and
flying fields are supplied with daily
telegraphic forecasts and specially
requested reports.
World System Planned.
Attention is now being focused
upon establishment Of an interna-
tional weather information and crop
reporting service. A daily radio
gram is sent to the French me-
neurological service, containing OBJ
servations taken at about forty sta
tons in the United States, and a
similar message soon will be sent
to the Philippines and Japan. The
reports sent to France are broad
cast from the Eiffel Tower over all
Europe. In exchange the Weather
Bureau receives radio reports from
European countries.
Weather observations will be
taken twice daily by members of
the Amundsen Polar Expedition and
communicated by radio to the signal
corps at Nome. Alaska, when they
will be transmitted to the Weather
Bureau here. Crop reports are ex-
changed with the International In
stitute Of Agriculture at Rome and
with the Egyptian government.
Despite it's extensive use of radio
the Department of Agriculture does
not operate any wireless equipment,
carrying on its radio distribution
work through stations operated by
other Government departments, by
corporations and by private in
dividlla1s