REPORT OF THE CHIEF OF THE WEATHER BUREAU. 



United States Department of Agriculture, 



Weather Bureau, 

 Office of the Chief, 

 Washington D. C, October H, 1916, 



Sir : I have the honor to submit a report of the operations of the 

 Weather Bureau during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1916. 

 Respectfully, 



C. F. Marvin, 

 Chief of Bureau. 

 Hon. D. F. Houston, 



/Secretary of Agriculture. 



The service of the Weather Bureau to the country for the past 

 year has been fully and effectively maintained at practically the 

 same annual expenditure as in the preceding year. Throughout 

 the crop-growing season and over the great agricultural, horticul- 

 tural, and citrus regions of the country the weather was generally 

 favorable after July of last year. Less favorable conditions marked 

 the first half of the growing season of 1916, and a number of 

 important crops have suffered. 



In August and September the Gulf region was visited by two 

 very destructive West Indian hurricanes, causing great property 

 losses, especially in Texas and Louisiana, out the wide dissemina- 

 tion of timely warnings of these storms by the bureau was doubt- 

 less the means of saving many lives and safeguarding property 

 interests as well. 



Some details of the work of the bureau are outlined under a series 

 of captions, as follows: 



STATIONS AND OBSERVATIONS. 



Few changes of consequence have been made in the principal sta- 

 tions of the service, which now number 199. These stations furnish 

 the principal telegraphic reports upon which the weather forecasting 

 is based. Supplementary or substations are also maintained at over 

 -J .500 points where the activities are carried on upon a cooperative 

 basis. New cooperative stations are constantly being established, 

 especially in new and sparsely settled regions from which observa- 

 tions have been previously unobtainable. 



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