90 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE 



ANNUAL REPORT OF THE MICHIGAN WEATHER SERVICE 

 FOR THE YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 1901. 



The ]Micliigan Woatlior SorA-iee has remained under the immediate 

 charge of C, F. Schneider, -svho is detailed by the Chief of the United 

 States Weather Bureau. 



The headquarters office continues in the Federal Building at Lansing, 

 Rooms Nos. 9 and 10. 



No particularly new work has been taken up during the year, the 

 entire energy being engrossed along the line of improving and extending 

 the meteorological observation work and in more widely disseminating 

 the daily forecasts, frost and cold-wave warnings furnished by the 

 United States Weather Bureau. 



VOLUNTARY OBSERVING STATIONS. 



The number of voluntary observing stations at the close of the present 

 year is 119, a net gain of 3 during the year. The distribution of these 

 stations now extends to nearly every county in the State, Montmorency 

 being the onh' county which has no meteorological station and it is 

 hoped that by the close of the present year this exception will be erased. 



As a whole, the work of the voluntary observers has been exceedingly 

 efficient and satisfactory. It must be remembered that these observers 

 perform their duties without extra pay and that the observations extend 

 throughout every da}^ of the year. The instrumental equipment of the 

 various stations has not been extended in any way. The valuable data 

 collected bv the voluntarv observers is collected at the Lansing office 

 each month, where each report is carefully scrutinized, checked up and 

 compiled. 



The maintenance of these voluntary observing stations is one of the 

 most expensive items in the instrument expenditures. The thermometers 

 are quite fragile and many of them broken during the year. Instru- 

 ment shelters become weather worn and have to be repainted and 

 very often repaired. The average cost of the entire instrumental equip- 

 ment for a single station is about |15, and the cost of replacing a 

 single thermometer about |2.25. The cost of repainting an instrument 

 shelter is about .f2..50. Our experience has been that about one-third 

 of the total number of thermometers out have to be replaced during 

 the year and that instrument shelters be repainted about once every 

 two years. 



FORECAST DISTRIBUTION. 



The number of forecast distributing centers in charge of this office 

 is G3, of which 24 are for the sole purpose of furnishing forecasts to 

 farmers along rural free delivery routes. Through the agency of the 

 other 39 distributing centers nearly every postoffice in the State is now 

 furnished with a daily forecast card that is received before about 5:00 

 p. m.; the card bears the forecast for a period "tonight and tomorrow." 

 In addition to this a large number of business houses, factories, etc., are 



