52 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



in discovering the progressive character of storms and in demon- 

 strating the practical utility of weather forecasts. Previous to 

 1870 meteorological observations in the United States were car- 

 ried on by a corps of voluntary observers under the direction 

 of the Smithsonian Institution. The results of those investiga- 

 tions finally led to the establishment of the present government 

 weather service, under the direction of the signal corps of the 

 army in 1870, and which was transferred to the Department of 

 Agriculture in 189 1. It has developed from a force of 200 men 

 in 1870 to 1,600 carefully trained officials ; from an appropriation 

 of $20,000 per annum to more than one million. The duties of 

 the service are defined by act of Congress as follows : "The 

 Chief of the Weather Bureau shall have charge of forecasting 

 the weather ; to issue storm warnings, the display of weather and 

 flood signals for the benefit of agriculture, commerce and navi- 

 gation ; the gauging and reporting of rivers ; the maintenance 

 and operation of seacoast telegraph lines, and the collection and 

 transmission of marine intelligence for the benefit of commerce 

 and navigation; the reporting of temperature and rainfall con- 

 ditions for the cotton interests ; the display of frost and cold wave 

 signals; the distribution of meteorological information in the 

 interests of agriculture and commerce, and the taking of such 

 meteorological observations as may be necessary to establish and 

 record the climatic conditions of the United States or are essen- 

 tial for the proper execution of the foregoing duties." 



To the general public the Weather Bureau is best known 

 through the medium of its daily forecasts and weather map. 

 These forecasts are based upon simultaneous observations of 

 local weather conditions taken daily at 8.00 A. M. and 8.00 P. M., 

 75th meridian time, at about 180 regular observing stations scat- 

 tered throughout the United States and the West Indies. Each 

 of these stations is operated by one or more trained observers 

 and is equipped with mercurial barometers, thermometers, wind 

 vanes, rain and snow gauges, anemometers, sunsine recorders, 

 barographs, thermographs, and devices which register auto- 

 matically a continuous record of the local weather conditions 

 and changes as they occur. The results of the daily observations 

 are immediately telegraphed to the central office at Washington, 

 D. C, where they are chartered for study and interpretation by 

 experts, trained to forecast the weather conditions which may 



