90 STATE BOARD OP AGRICULTURE. 



REPORT OF THE MICHIGAN WEATHER SERVICE FOR THE 



YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 1906. 



Hon. C. J. Monroe, President State Board of Agriculture: 



Sir — The work of the Michigan Weather Service during the past 

 fiscal year has been carried forward on lines similar to those of pre- 

 ceding 3'ears. 



C, F. Schneider, Section Director, U. S. Weather Bureau, has con- 

 tinued in charge and the location of the headquarters of the service 

 has remained at Grand Rapids. 



The service has in operation a total number of 119 stations. In addi- 

 tion, there are nine regular weather bureau stations, making a total of 

 128 places at which meteorological records are made. 



The state is fairly well covered with stations, so that almost any 

 locality can secure records, which, if not taken exactly at that place, 

 are for some nearby point which is fairly representative. All of the 

 important cities and villages of the state have their own station except 

 the village of Ionia. 



With the present calendar year the Michigan Weather Service will 

 complete the twentieth year of its existence, and at no time in its pre- 

 vious history has there been such a constant and increasing call for 

 weather statistics. The demand for knowledge of what the weather 

 has been comes from widely varying sources, and asks for meteorologi- 

 cal data of almost every conceivable kind. During the past year the 

 greatest call for data has been in connection with proposed water power 

 projects. The topography of Michigan and its numerous freely and 

 constant flowing rivers and creeks makes this state one which is par- 

 ticularly adapted to the very general and extensive use of water power. 

 One of the principal advantages of devoting an appropriation for the 

 weather service many years ago was, that statistics, which would be 

 compiled from year to year, would become constantly more valuable, 

 as the period of observation increased, to just such demands as are now 

 constantly being made in connection with these proposed water power 

 projects. 



An engineer who constructs these water power plants must know 

 not only the drainage area and amount of water flow, but more im- 

 portant than all, the amount of annual precipitation over the water 

 shed drained which is to furnish the power. A constant remark from 

 these engineers now is, that the record is not long enough and that it 

 is deplorable that observations did not begin even before they did. 



To the residents of the upper peninsula who are each year looking 

 more toward agriculture, our records answer many questions. The 

 popular belief that much of the northern part of the state was situated 

 so far north that profitable agriculture was not possible is being 

 gradually dissipated by our upper peninsula experiment station, and 

 reference to the records of the Michigan Weather Service. 



In the dissemination of weather forecasts and special M'arnings, the 

 service has made a decided advance during the past fiscal year. As out- 



