WIATHEE BUBEATT. 59 



Necessary repairs and improvements have been carried to com- 

 pletion on Weather Bureau buildings and grounds at Atlantic City, 

 N. J.; Bismarck, N. Dak.; Modena, Utah; North Platte, Nebr.; 

 Sault Ste. Maria, Mich.; San Juan, P. R.; and Sheridan, Wyo. The 

 building belonging to the Bureau but occupying leased ground at 

 Kitty Hawk, N. C. — a discontinued station — ^was (Hsposed of at pubUo 

 sale. 



A farm of about 40 acres, with buildings complete, was leased at 

 Drexel, Nebr., for a new aerological station at which to maintain 

 and continue the kite and balloon work, transferred thereto from 

 Mount Weather. 



The building in which the Weather Bureau occupied rented quar- 

 ters at Jacksonville, Fla., was partially destroyed by fire January 3, 

 1915, involving a financial loss to the Government for station equip- 

 ment of about S2,500. 



To secure suitable conditions for obtaining accurate observations 

 of weather conditions at its outlying stations, offices are located in 

 Federal buildings wherever suitable quarters may thus be had. 

 Where these are not available nor suitable, rented offices are utihzed 

 or, in a number of cases, the Weather Bureau has erected observatory 

 biiildings of its own. At the end of the fiscal year there were 45 of 

 these latter, in addition to the central office building in Washington. 

 The accumulated investment for these permanent structures outside 

 of Washington amounts to about $1,000,000 for grounds and prop- 

 erty as a whole. 



The following statement gives the status and nmnber of Weather 

 Bureau station offices in operation on June 30, 1915: 



Free quarters and accommodations: 



In Federal buildings 64 



In State or other public buildings — 7 



In Weather Bureau observatory buildings 45 



Total free of rental 116 



In rented quarters owned by individuals or corporations 98 



Total for entire service 214 



SUBSTATIONS. 



A few extensions have been made in the work conducted in the 

 interests of the grain, cotton, sugar and rice, cattle, and such indus- 

 tries, notably in the frost-fruit work in the Salt River Valley of 

 Arizona, the Rogue River Valley of Oregon, in the vicinity of Walla 

 Walla^ Wash., in southern California, and in the large fruit districts 



of Ohio. r V -. J • 



Two new special meteorological stations were estabhshed in 

 Alaska in cooperation with the naval radio service. 



The large corps of cooperative observers, now more than 4,500, 

 was further increased during the year by the opening of more than 

 100 new stations at points from which meteorological data will be 

 useful in determining the climate of the countrv. The large amount 

 of data collected by these observers, on the whole, was presented in 

 excellent form, and shows a conscientious desire on their part to 

 render the best service possible. 



The proper exposure and care of instruments, as well as the correct 

 interpretation of their indications by observers at substations and 



