50 AlS^IsUAL REPOllTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGEICULTURE. 



teiiiince and operation of seacoast tele.craph lines and the collection and trans- 

 mission of marine intelligence for the henefit of commerce and navigation ; the 

 reporting of temperature and rainfall conditions for the cotton interests ; the 

 display of frost, cold-wave, and other signals ; the distribution of meteorological 

 information in the interest 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 essential for the proper 

 execution of the foregoing duties. 



This org-anic act, Avith interpretations and extensions bj' subse- 

 (juent annual appropriations, assigns to the Weather Bureau tho 

 entire domain of meteorology, including the duty of preparation and 

 issue of forecasts and warnings of weather, storms, cold waves, heavy 

 snows, floods, and the stages of rivers, all in the interest of commerce, 

 agriculture, and navigation. At present it maintains over 200 fully 

 equipped meteorological stations, and about 1,400 substations classi- 

 fied as special mcteoiological, river, storm-warning, hurricane, ma- 

 rine, cotton-region, corn-and-wheat-region, fruit, cranberr}-, and fire- 

 weather Avarning stations. In addition to these the Bureau main- 

 tains, in connection with its climatolog^ical Avork, about 4,500 stations 

 known as cooperatiA-e stations, the equipment being furnished by the 

 Bureau and the observations being taken "by public-spirited citizens 

 Avho render gratuitous service. Its cooperatiA^e work extends to prac- 

 tically CA^ery ocean of the globe, and the masters of many A^essels (the- 

 number was greatlv reduced by the war. but is now on the increase) 

 fill out our forms of dail^' meteorological observations on every voy- 

 age, to be forAvarded on arriA^al in port. Before the Avar daily ob- 

 servations received by cable and otherAvise from selected stations 

 OAer the entire Northern Hemisphere Avere collected and published. 

 Negotiations to restore this exchange are under way. A highly 

 trained, efficient, and experienced personnel of OA'er 800 commission- 

 ed employees, helped by about 1,400 who receive a small compensa- 

 tion for tiie regular performance of specific duties, conducts the Avor'.t 

 of the Bureau, and in addition the marine and cooperative observers 

 constitute a host of nearly 6,000 public-spirited individuals who serA'c 

 gratuitously. Such, in brief, is the machinery and organization of 

 the Weather Bureau. 



While the Bureau is best knoAvn to the public through the issue of 

 its daily forecasts, maps, and bulletins, there is no doubt that its 

 greatest value in an economic sense consists in the immense saving 

 effected by its special warnings, as of storms and hurricanes for the 

 benefit of marine interests, warnings of floods that occur on the prin- 

 cipal riA^ers, warnings of cold Avaves which accomplish protection 

 to property and food stuffs liable to damage by injuriously Ioav t«m- 

 ]3eratnres, and warnings of frost and freezing Aveather for the benefit 

 oi the fruit, sugar, tobacco, cranberry, market gardening, and other 

 interests. 



Its duties and autliorities by law are broad and comprehensiAe, 

 and ]iost-Avar conditions bring it new and important obligations and 

 responsibilities Avliich it is fully alert to recognize and eager to dis- 

 charge. With the experience and traditions of nearly oO years to its 

 credit, the Bui-cau is in a position to render practically every seiwice 

 of a meteorological nature Avhich may be required of such an agency 

 and at an economy of expenditure of ])ublic funds which can not be 

 surpassed, or CA-en equaled, by any neAV agency. 



