Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-03-07


me that the United States
Weather Bureau, as part of its LOCI
duties to the public. is called on to
aid in the determination of insects?
We'll, that's about the truth of it. y
ForecaSter Charles l.. Mitchell replied,
with a smile. And we have other
kinds of special services, apparently,
just as strange.
For instance, we are expected TO
select health resorts for lnVallds. TO
help the light companies prove their
bills to customers are not too high, to
conserve merchants advertising costs,
to determine the origin of fires caused
by flying sparks. and even to aid IN
the manufacture of chocolate candy.
All in addition to our regular daily
forecast work. too"
Then Uncle Sans weather expert
began to detail some of the special
services outlined, beginning with the
mites.
out in the Middle West. he eX-
planned in the grain country. there
are great grain elevators. These
storage buildings become infested,
from TIM to time. with pestiferous
mite. which makes it's home in the
cereal contents. and deties ousting.
All usual methods of pest eradication
obviously are not practicable in such
place. Powders. sprays and similar
means of combating insects and bugs
would ruin the valuable food products.
There is but one feasible weapon
that is effective and sure. 1t is in
tense cold. A beloWZero temperature
will kill every mite and not harm the
grain. Here is where the Weather
Bureau comes in.
Every Winter the grain merchants
-. I, Sto,. n ND
remind him about the mites. The
forecaster understands. When the
first signs of a helow-zero cold wave
manifest themselves. he notifies the
grain people and they do the rest.
The elevators are shut down, the
VentilatorS. windows and doors opened
wide and the friCid air of the North
allowed to enter. One such treatment
overnight usually completes the job.
This service. VIII lC seemingly unim
portant. really rell. s1vinS OF
thousands OF do'lart annually to the
grain inducIr-,'. The cooperation of
the Government ""aNie$ the operators
to shut Their plants down for mini
mum time and Yet save the garnered
crops from a hothersome pest.
!; = =
MANY OF tho other calls made on
near. offhand. to I've OF trivial M
ture. We the foreclGter gladly makes
every effort ro' ihe to give the de-
sired information.
Not infrequently. persons ordered by
their physicians to seek change of
climate depend on the advice of the
Weather Bureau in this respect. If
their conditions demand an atmos-
phere free from humidity. the weather
prognostiCator usually can give some
sound suggestions. for he has stock
of just such knowledge at hand as
part of his daily business.
Sometimes electric light consumers
complain about extra ordinarily large
bills rendered them at certain times
of the year. usually when the nights
are long. The companies fall back on
the Weather Bureau for data sup
porting their contention that nature
is to blame for the increased Consump-
ton of current.
Newspaper advertisers make a daily
practice. during unsettled spells. of
asking the advice of the weather man
as to holdinG clothing sales. If he
tells them a Ions. hot period is in
sight. the newspapers will he flooded
with large display ads on hot weather
apparel Similarly. in Winter ar
rangements fcr cc!d-weather sales are
in order. Advertisers have learned
they MAY save thousands of dollars
in advertising costs by needing The
warnings of the Government experts.
An unexpected rain on the day of
big sale may mean virtually com
plete loss to the advertiser who neg
lected to consult the forecaster before
launching his drive.
Investigations of the origin of fires
by municipal authorities, insurance
agents and Other interested parties
often lead to the Weather Bureau.
Claims that sparks fying from a GER
tain direction caused the blaze may
thus be disproved by official records.
showing that al given time the wind
was blowing in the wrong direction.
The f1apper who sits on the Veranda
these nights and comments on the
lusciousness OF the chocolate creams
her sweetie brought her may really
owe the forccaSter a vote Of thanks.
too. 1t is perfectly possible that
those chocolates would not have been
so luscious rad not the candv manu-
facturer conferred with the weather
man regarding the advi5ahility Of
dipping the creams. in view of the
state of humidity pending.
One of Forecaster Mitchell's daily
customers" Of the past Winter was
concrete road contractor in North
Carolina. This wise engineer tele-
graphed each evening for special
local forecast designed to help him
form his plans for the morrow. Ce
ment is easily affected by freezing
weather and by rain. and if he knew
in advance that it was safe to lay
certain length of roadway the next
day, he made arrangements accord
ingly. This service cost the con
tractor nothing but telegraph fees ana
the risks he avoided were worth inn
measurably greater sums.
Another regular customer" of the
Washington bureau. which embraces
the Eastern States. is a hydroelectric
power plant in North Carolina. This
plant uses water to generate power
when water is plentiful. but in the
dry season it depends on a steam
plant. BY storing rain water in a
great reservoir the plant is provided
with a source of cheap power. but
the contents of the reservoir must be
conserved when droughts are IN
prospect. The auxiliary water system
consequently is operated as long as
rainy weather is likely to prevail and
replenish the reservoir with water. but
is shut down at other times and held
loI eIlltI SeItlSS. ION heeDlllE Idb Will
the Weather Bureau here. the plant
engineers know how long ii is safe to
operate on water and thus save coal.
THE bureau points out that among
the miscellaneous uses of the va
rious classes of forecasts are their ap-
plication to the manufacture of certain
articles where slight changes in tenn
"arature. moisture and other weather
eiements have been found to affect the
quality of the product.
This Is true of certain stages in the
manufacture of bluing, varnish. oils.
cement, lime, bricks, paper, photo
graphic supplies. and some acids. They