48 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



for the first time offers a possibility of eliminating coyotes over vast 

 areas. This has hitherto appeared doubtful, owing to the numbers 

 and wide distribution of these pests. More than 200,000 square miles 

 were covered by organized poisoning operations during the year, 

 and at carefully established poison stations on this area more than 

 1,703,000 specially prepared poison baits were distributed. 



Clearing the ranges of coyotes is proving a boon to the cattlemen 

 as well as to the sheepmen, for with the practical elimination of the 

 gray or timber wolf over much of the range country of the "Western 

 States, cattlemen have discovered that heavy losses of calves, hereto- 

 fore attributed to wolves, have evidently been due to coyotes. 



A national drive undertaken against house rats, both through 

 publicity and demonstrations, has developed widespread community 

 sentiment against these destructive rodents, as evidenced by the 

 steady growth of organized campaigns to destroy them and to elimi- 

 nate their sources of food and harborage. 



IMPORTANCE OF WEATHER WORK. 



The department is making its weather work pay back to the 

 Nation many hundreds of dollars for each dollar expended. The 

 forecasts issued twice daily for all sections of the country and 

 warnings of frosts, cold waves, storms, heavy snows, whenever con- 

 ditions warrant, all of which are widely and effectively distributed 

 through newspapers, by telephone, telegraph, radio, maps, bulletins. 

 > cards, and other means, meet general requirements, but the rapidly 

 increasing utilization of weather information by many business 

 industries is resulting in requests for more special forecasts and 

 direct service. 



In addition to the hundreds of thousands of receiving-set owners 

 who receive the forecasts by radiophone, large numbers of whom 

 can obtain them in no other way, many repeat them to their neigh- 

 bors by telephone. This latter form of service has become so poten- 

 tial that arrangements are in hand for a definite form of organiza- 

 tion which will replace the telegraphing of forecast messages now 

 sent to centers for distribution. It is expected that more effective 

 service will be accomplished thereby and that considerable economy 

 will result. 



It is estimated that the value of perishable products saved as a 

 result of cold-wave warnings issued last winter for the Chicago 



