114 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



(g) Cost per dispensary call : 



without salaries SI 64 



with salaries : 3 78 



Respectfully sunmittecl, 



CLYDE REYNOLDS, M.D. 



Director of Health Service. 

 East Lansing, Michigan, June 30, 1921. 



REPORT OF MICHIGAN WEATHER SERVICE. 



The past year has been one without any startling or unusual features from 

 the administrative standpoint. The general policy of the service has con- 

 tinued as in former years. 



The close of the war, however, has marked a period of increased demand 

 for weather data of all kinds. 



The number of observation stations in the State has not been increased 

 and the work of the observers, as a whole, has been of a high order. All 

 stations are fully equipped with standard instruments and for most of the 

 stations it can be said that the observation work is continuous. 



The distribution of daily forecasts through cooperation with various 

 telephone companies continues to be somewhat abridged. As in the year 

 previous, telephone ■wdres and telephone employees are generally working 

 at peak capacity, and in order to take care of regular commercial business it 

 has been necessary for some telephone companies to give the distribution of 

 forecasts less consideration than is desirable, either on the part of the com- 

 panies themselves or on the part of the Weather Bureau. 



It is interesting to note at this time, that great progress has been made in 

 the perfection of the ^^^reless telephone. 



At this time the United States Bureau of Standardization is devoting 

 much time and experimentation in producing a wireless telephone of moder- 

 ate cost, that may be within reach of the ordinary farmer. 



The Weather Bureau has for some time past been sending out daily fore- 

 casts for all kinds of interests, principally for the farmers, for the marine 

 shipping interests, and for aviation interests. 



The forecasts are sent out at 10:30 A. M. from the radio station at Arling- 

 ton. These radiograms are in telegraph code and are being picked up in all 

 parts of the United States. It is hoped that the Weather Bureau will send 

 out the same forecasts by wireless telephone in the near future, and when 

 that practice is instituted, anyone, and particularly the farmer, may be able 

 to take down his own instrument and listen in at 10:30 A. M. and get the 

 forecast for the period covered by the "tonight and tomorrow". The arrange- 

 ments for this wireless telephone of forecasts is already so far advanced that 

 it will be only a question of less than a year before it is in actual practice. 

 If the individual wireless telephone can be brought down to a price that is 

 popular and possible for the average farmer, it will mark a distinct advance 

 in the life of all rural communities, not only from the standpoint of getting 

 the weather telephone messages but also much other information. 



The publication of the monthly bulletin has been continued in abridged 

 form since last year and continues to be widely sought for and extensively 

 consulted. 



