DEPARTMENT REPORTS. 63 



it is, howi'ver, the intention of the present director to have about half 

 of the shelters repainted during the i>resent year. 



The matter of the inspection of stations is another very important 

 item when it is considered that these 110 observcns do tlieir work daily, 

 which includes all holidays, without any compensation whatever from 

 the State or government, the wonder often is how so much good work 

 is obtained. The observers are in most cases laymen who are not 

 familiar at first with the technical insight of meteorological work which 

 is necessary to make their observations a success. For this reason a 

 personal visit from the director is often necessary to start the work 

 properly or to correct a poor exposure of the instruments which has 

 resulted in allowing the voluntary observer to use his own judgment. 

 Besides this, thermometers weather so badly that the calibration marks 

 become obliterated in the course of about a year and very often the 

 straps holding them on the metal back corrode. For these reasons an 

 inspection of some one from the central office is of great value in improv 

 ing the record. As far as the funds would permit the director has in- 

 spected the voluntary observing stations during the i)ast year and in 

 every case the value of the inspection has been apparent in the next 

 report rendered. 



FORECAST DISTRIBUTION. 



The number of forecast distributing centers in charge of this office is 

 56, and the number of addresses furnished is 4,574. Besides this, there 

 are 26 display stations, of which 22 are flag and four w^histle signal 

 stations. 



Eight hundred and thirty-three railroad stations display the forecasts 

 in their waiting rooms. 



The rui-al mail delivery system which is growing very rapidly is doing 

 more than any other agency to distribute the forer-asts to the farmer. 

 During the past year we have established six new forecast distributing 

 centers for the distribution of forecasts along the rural mail routes. 

 Arrangements have been made with the postmasters at the termini of 

 tliese rural routes to receive a telegraphic forecast message every morn- 

 ing and then by means of a logotype stami>ing outfit, to transfer it to 

 a large number of paper slips. A sufficient supply of these slips is then 

 handed to the rural mail carrier who leaves one in each rural box which 

 he passes. The rural carrier touches most of these boxes before 2 p. m., 

 so that the^' are able to inform the farmer regarding the weather proba- 

 bilities for "toniglit and tomorrow" as soon as most of the large city 

 addresses now receive them. This service has called forth the highest 

 commendation from our rural patrons and we are now actively engaged 

 in extending the work and hope by the beginning of the next agri- 

 cultural season to have a very large rural forecast delivery service in 

 operation. 



WEEKLY CLIMATE AND CROP BULLETIN. 



As in ])revious years this office has issued during the planting, grow- 

 ing and harvesting season a weekly climate and crop bulletin, which de- 

 scribes briefly for the State and for each county, the weather conditions 

 of the past seven days and their elTcct on the ju-ogress of the various 

 staple crops and field work. The bulletin conliniies to be published 

 weekly in tlie metropolitan and smaller newspapers and is a very popu- 

 lar feature of our work. 



