78 ANNUAL REPORTS" OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



At other times and in counties wliere the relay system was not used, circular 

 letters and post cards were used to broadcast the information. 



The number of fruit growers reached directly by this service was 2,500. It 

 is a well-known fact, however, that nearly every grower who receives the serv- 

 ice has at least one neighbor who gets the information from him. This would 

 nearly double the number benefiting by this service. 



We feel strongly that these special weather forecasts are of great impor- 

 tance in making the Weather Bureau of real service to our fruit growers and 

 general farmers and that definite provision for the service is essential for get- 

 ting the full value out of the Weather Bureau. 



The New York State Horticultural Society at its summer meeting 

 held at Leroy, N. Y., passed resolutions that " the Government 

 weather forecasts given out in connection with the spray service in 

 New York State has been of great assistance to the fruit grow- 

 ers; we express our appreciation of such service and request its 

 continuance." 



The spray forecast work has been conducted as a demonstration of 

 the practicability and value of special forecasts for the benefit of 

 orchardists. The project, although conducted in a limited way, has 

 proved highly successful. It will not be possible, howeve*, to place 

 this project on an adequate and permanent basis and to extend it to 

 other sections, where there is fully as much need therefor, unles.s 

 additional funds are provided for the work. 



RIVER AND FLOOD SERVICE. 



The year of 1922 was unprecedented as to the number and wide dis- 

 tribution of floods, especially with reference to the Illinois Valley, 

 the lower Mississippi and Texas rivers, including the Rio Grande. 

 Stages beyond all previous records were attained in many cases and 

 during the month of April almost every stream east of the Roclcy 

 Mountains was in flood, entailing heavy demands upon the Weather 

 Bureau for flood service and information, with corresponding in- 

 creased expenses for operations. 



The lower Mississippi River '^joods. — The river passed the flood 

 stage of 45 feet at Cairo, 111., on March 16, and did not fall below 

 the flood stage of 35 feet at Baton Rouge, La., until June 12, a total 

 period of 89 days. During the flood the highest stages of record 

 were reached from the mouth of the Arkansas River to the Passes, 

 and had the levees remained intact probably another foot would 

 have been added to the flood crests below Vicksburg, Miss. 



There were four important crevasses in the levees, all within the 

 State of Louisiana, and of these the greatest occurred on the right 

 bank near Ferriday, La. The others were at Hamburg, Poydras, and 

 Myrtle Grove, La. 



About 13,200 square miles of lands were overflowed, about 4,400 

 square miles less than in 1912, the deficiency occurring in the Yazoo 

 district. 



The total reported losses were about $17,000,000, of which about 

 one-half were in prospective crops. Many losses, especially those to 

 railroads, were unreported. 



There was no loss of human life, as the warnings of the floods 

 were several weeks in advance of their occurrence. 



Svmmary of food Josses.— T\iQ Texas floods of September came 

 with a suddenness that in many localities defied any precautionary 



