WEATHER BUREAU. 67 



A short report on the climate of France and Belgium was pre- 

 pared during the year, and by publication in the Weather Review 

 and the monthly summaries of the State climatological services re- 

 ceived an unusually wide distribution. 



The preparation of data for the atlas of American agriculture 

 was carried forAvard to near completion. The text sections on tem- 

 perature and miscellaneous data were completed, as well as the 

 major part of the necessary drafting work, and some of the folios 

 have been printed and will soon be available for distribution. 



In response to the needs of aviators and other students of the 

 atmosphere, an eifort has been made to bring together as much as 

 practicable of the important knowledge of the physics of the air. 

 The publication of this without cost to the Government was begun 

 as a serial in the Journal of the Franklin Institute, August, 1917, 

 and continued through the year. 



In cooperation with the Smithsonian Institution, the Smithsonian 

 meteorological tables have been extensively revised by officials of 

 the Weather Bureau and republished by the Smithsonian Insti- 

 tution. , 



Considerable progress has been made on a paper discussing the 

 more important weather features attending the severe cold of last 

 winter. It was expected that this would be completed before the end 

 of the fiscal year, but it has been delayed by press of routine work 

 and failure so far to receive reports from some far northern districts. 



LIBRARY. 



During the year, 827 books and pamphlets were added to the 

 library, the same number as last year. The total strength of the col- 

 lection is now^ about 37,100. The library has been utilized extensively 

 by men undergoing training for the meteorological work of the Army 

 and the Navy and has lent a considerable number of books for use 

 at the front. A brief bibliography was prepared on the subject of 

 military meteorology. 



The number of promotion examination papers rated during the 

 year was 32, of which 28, or 87 per cent, received passing grades. 

 The promotion examinations, which, with some variations in form 

 and scope, have been in operation since 1899, were discontinued May 

 4, 1918. This course does not imply any lowering of the standards of 

 qualifications for entrance or eligibility for advancement, but rather 

 the reverse, because a new entrance grade has been established, exami- 

 nations for which are held as frequently as necessary by the Civil 

 Service Commission. 



SEISMOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS. 



The systematic work of collecting and publishing earthquake data, 

 begun December 1, 1914, was continued during the year. These data 

 are of two kinds — noninstrumental reports of earthquakes felt and 

 instrumental records, often of quakes wholly imperceptible to the 

 senses. The noninstrumental reports are rendered by all the regular 

 stations of the bureau, nearly 200 in number, and also by nearly all 

 the bureau's 4,500 cooperative observers. The instrumental records 

 published by the bureau have been obtained in part by instruments 



