62 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



The shade cloth is also used at the Arlington Farm by the Bureau 

 of Plant Industry to determine the relation between sunlight in- 

 tensity and the development of certain standard plants. In these 

 investigations the solar radiation measurements for Washington, re- 

 ferred to above, are also utilized. 



AGRICULTURAL METEOROLOGY. 



The Division of Agricultural Meteorology was established Feb- 

 ruary 21, 1916, for the purpose of conducting studies of every 

 character of the relation of weather to crops and the collection of 

 statistical data required in such studies, including the direction and 

 supervision of cooperative relations with the State experiment sta- 

 tions and other contributing organizations. The division conducts 

 investigations of the effect of weather and climate upon the growth 

 and yield of crops, determines the distribution of frost warnings and 

 forecasts for special agricultural interests, conducts studies for the 

 protection of crops and orchards from frost, has general supervision 

 over all special services and, in general, supervises the activities of 

 the Weather Bureau which relate particularly to agriculture. 



CORN AND WHEAT REGION SERVICE. 



This service covers the 16 principal grain States, and its organiza- 

 tion, as well as the service given, is indicated by the following table : 



Region center (Chicago, 111.) 1 



District centers 13 



Special reporting stations 189 



Stations opened during year 21 



Stations closed during year 9 



Stations issuing daily corn and wheat region bulletin 18 



Total number daily bulletins issued 2, 964 



This service has been improved during the year by the establish- 

 ment of additional stations in the western grain districts. Also by 

 the completion of arrangements for publishing a weekly corn and 

 wheat region bulletin at the region center; the issue of these bulle- 

 tins began the first part of July, 1917, with a list of approximately 

 600 addresses. 



COTTON REGION SERVICE. 



This service covers the principal cotton States, and its organiza- 

 tion, as well as the service given, is indicated in the following table : 



Region center (New Orleans) 1 



District centers 13 



Special reporting stations 167 



Stations opened during year 2 



Stations closed during year - ^ 



Stations issuing daily cotton region bulletins 20 



(In addition to this Galveston, Tex., publishes the cotton informa- 

 tion on a large glass map.) 



Total number daily bulletins issued 2, 358 



As will be seen from the foregoing table this service was reor- 

 ganized during the spring of 1917 by the establishment of a region 

 center at New Orleans. The telegraphing of the district averages 

 was discontinued, and in their place a summary is being telegraphed 



