Evening star., 1940-02-10
Of Stors, Men
And Atoms
Notebook Of Science Progress
In Field, Laboratory
And Study
By Thomas r. Henri.

BY Thomas r. Henry.
In 80 years the growing season" in the
Midwest grain belt has moved as miles
north.
1t now is as long around Indianapolis as
1t was around Nashville in 1857. This
astounding migration Is revealed by q
study just completed by United States
Weather Bureau scientists of the earliest
and latest dates of killing frosts
Throughout this area, says ]. B. Kincer,
chief of the Weather Bureaus clima-
tology division, the growing season ex-
tends roughly from some time in April
to some time in October. Upon this basis
crop belts have been laid down on the
time required for crops to grow, such as
the cotton belt and the spring wheat
belt. Both have been pushed northward.
The climate migration. Mr.. Kincer says.
amounts to an approximate three-week
lengthening of the growing season
throughout the area, about equally di-
vided between the earlier date of the
last killing frost in the spring and the
later date of the first one in the fall
Although statistics have been compiled
only for this area, says Mr.. Kincer, there
is little reason to doubt that the same
findings would be made for the entire
United States east of the Rocky Noun
tains and possibly for most of the world.
AS an example, he says the present dav
climate around Washington and Balti-
more is approximately that Of extreme
Southern Virginia so years ago. South
ern Virginia, in turn, has the climate Of
more than 100 miles farther south in
the '80s.
These figures themselves, Mr.. Kincer
says, do not necessarily mean that the
climate is warmer although independent
records show that this also is the case.
They merely mean that winters are
shorter and summers longer
The crops themselves, he explained,
have not necessarily followed the growing
season migration. The characteristic
crops of a region are determined in part
by the traditions of the farmers and by
the local facilities built up through the
years for processing them. Another po-
tent reason, recognized by the farmers
themselves, is that there is no regularity
about it. In any part Of the area there
they are more probable on the northern
than on the southern fringe. Also some
crops need higher temperatures than
others to start growing.
So far as the world picture is con-
cerned, Weather Bureau experts say, the
data are so scanty and climates so affect
ed by local geographic conditions that
valid conclusions cannot be reached
This is the first great climatic migration
since accurate, day-by-day records have
been available. Much geological evidence
is available, however, of both great and
small shifts northward and southwark
since the last Ice Age and in previous
geological periods Arctic vegetation has
extended as far southwark as the Poto-
mac River and temperate zone vegeta-
tion as far north as Greenland.
They recall Morse settlers were brought
to the green land-one of the worst
real estate promotion swindles in history
by glowing accounts of it's agricultural
promise and managed to farm its south
ern coast with varying success for nearly
800 years. While the Midwest figures
speak for themselves, Mr.. Kincer says,
he warns against the assumption that the
shift northward will continue for many
years. Even now, he says, reversion
may have started.
One far-reaching effect of this north
ward shift he points out, has been an
enormous saving in the fuel bill of the
affected area, amounting to millions of
tons of coal. The climate shift has CO.
incided approximately with the great
growth of cities requiring central heat
ing plants.
While the man-controlled crops have
been slow in following the climate shifts,
reports from Department of Agriculture
bureaus show that there has been some
northward movement of noxious weeds,
quick to spread into any territory where
the length of the growing season permits
them to exist
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