WEATHER BUREAU. 59 



SPECIAL TOBACCO SERVICE. 



This service is now carried on in the States of Connecticut and Wis- 

 consin, with 2 district centers and 13 stations. No material change was 

 made during the year in these States, but arrangements were com- 

 pleted for the establishment of a special tobacco service in the impor- 

 tant tobacco districts in western Kentucky. In this State not only 

 will warnings be issued for the tobacco growers at critical periods, 

 but the general effect of the weather conditions upon the develop- 

 ment of the tobacco will be studied through cooperation with the 

 officials of the agricultural experiment stations. 



SPECIAL CATTLE-REGION SERVICE. 



This service at present has 1 district center at Amarillo, Tex., with 

 12 special stations, and* receives reports from 9 other points in the 

 cattle-range district of the Southwest. Daily bulletins are pub- 

 lished giving the rainfall and temperature over the southwestern 

 cattle ranges, with an issue of 625 copies. This service has been 

 expanded somewhat during the year by receiving reports from a 

 wider area. Preliminary steps have been completed for the estab- 

 lishment of a new cattle-region district center at Roswell, N. Mex. 



SPECIAL ALFALFA SERVICE. 



This service is maintained in Utah, with three special stations. 

 There has been no change during the year. In addition, however, 

 there has been an expansion of special three or four day forecasts for 

 the benefit of alfalfa harvesters throughout the whole western part 

 of the country during the present season. If fair weather is ex- 

 pected for three or four days, or if a rainy spell is in anticipation, 

 this information is telegraphed from the district centers to the large 

 alfalfa-growing points, where action is taken to disseminate the 

 information for the benefit of the various alfalfa growers. The tem- 

 perature forecasts will be issued in the same way in connection with 

 the harvesting of alfalfa seed. 



SPECIAL TEMPERATURE AND STORM WARNINGS FOR SHEEPMEN. 



In the spring of 1916 special rain and temperature forecasts for 

 the sheepmen in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho were made by the 

 district forecaster at Portland, Oreg., during the shearing and lamb- 

 ing season. It is estimated that there are more than 6,000,000 sheep 

 in these States. As winter feeding is expensive, sheep are usually 

 shorn and put on the ranges as early as possible. Early lambing is 

 encouraged also. Before being shorn, if stormy and cold weather 

 prevails, the sheep may succumb to fatigue and starvation, and after 

 being shorn it is necessary to keep the sheep near natural or artificial 

 protection for a short period if unfavorable conditions prevail. The 

 forecasts enable proper precautions to be taken by anticipating these 

 conditions, and also give information as to favorable weather condi- 

 tions for several days in advance, so that sheep may be grazed farther 

 away from protection. During the spring of 1916 this information 

 was telegraphed to 26 different points in these three States, and from 

 them distributed by telephone to hundreds of sheepmen. The infor- 

 mation has been found to be of very great importance, and the 

 service will be continued and expanded. 



72412°— age 1916 5 



