EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 415 



METEOROLOGY— WATER. 



Agricultural meteorology, 11. F. Sttjpart {Agr. Gaz. Canada, 1 (1914), A'o- 

 3, pp. 210, 211). — A brief account is given of the action of tlie General As- 

 sembly of the Institute of Agriculture at Rome in May. 1913, with reference 

 to the proposed work of the permanent commission for the study of agricul- 

 tural meteorology. 



The questions which this commission should consider are outlined as follows : 

 Statistics of losses occasioned by storms in relation to the possible maximum; 

 importance of daily reports of the weather in order to establish statistics re- 

 garding favorable conditions; means of disseminating general meteorological 

 information among agriculturists; the connection existing between the harvest 

 and the various atmospheric elements; estalilishment of the atmo.'^pheric condi- 

 tions which lead to the best agricultural results in any year; establishment of 

 notes or percentages for the good year and for normal years; special study of 

 the elements of a good year ; study of the various elements which contribute 

 to a good harvest — (a) weather, (b) sunshine, (c) heat, (d) quantity of rain 

 required for a good harvest ; and the establishment of a Meteorological Infor- 

 mation Office for Agriculturists. 



In accordance with these sugge.^tions the meteorological service of Canada 

 has established a new division for the study of the connection between weather 

 and the growth of crops and has piace<^l the work in charge of R. W. Mills. 



Comparative agricultural and forestry meteorology, E. Cuif (Bui. Soc. 

 Sci. Nancy, S. ser., IJf (1911,), No. 3, pp. 225-307, pis. 3. figs. J,; abs. in Rev. Sci. 

 [Paris], 52 (1914), II, No. 2, p. 50). — A continuation and summai'y of previous 

 investigations (E. S. R.. 22, p. 44; 27. p. 816) is given in this ai'ticie. which 

 deals with (1) influeuce of forest cover on the temperature of the soil at differ- 

 ent depths, (2) influence of the degree of forestation on the amount of rainfall, 

 and (3) the influence of leafy and coniferous forest growth on the temperature 

 and humidity of the air. 



The more important conclusions are that forest growth exerts a decided in- 

 fluence on diurnal variations in temperature of the air, the maximum being 

 much lower and the minimum much higher than in the air of unforested areas. 

 The influence on the temperature of the soil, however, is comparatively small 

 and disappears entirely at a depth of 0.2 meter. Forest growth appears to 

 have considerable influence on the frequency of rainfall, although little upon 

 the amount. It appears to Increase the number of rainy days and to reduce 

 the number of torrential rains. The absolute humidity is higher and the rela- 

 tive humidity is lower in the forest than in the open country on account of the 

 lower temperature prevailing in the former. This is true to a greater extent 

 in coniferous forests than in those of leafy growth and is most pronounced 

 during the period from April to October. 



Climatological data for the United States by sections (U. S. Dept. Agr., 

 Weather Bur. Climat. Data. 1 (1914), Nos. 3, pp. 248, pis. 2, figs. 9; 4, pp. 238, 

 pis. 2, figs. 8).— These numbers contain respectively brief summaries and de- 

 tailed tabular statements of climatological data for each State for March 

 and April, 1914. 



Meteorological observations at the Massachusetts Agricultural Experi- 

 ment Station, J. E. Ostrandee, E. K. Dexter, and R. E. McLain (Mas.^achu- 

 setts Sta. Met. Buls. 305, 306 (1914), pp. 4 eac/;).— Summaries of observations 

 at Amherst, Mass., on pressure, temperature, humidity, precipitation, wind, sun- 

 shine, cloudiness, and casual phenomena during May and June, 1914, are pre- 

 sented. The data are briefly discussed in general notes on the weather of each 

 month. 



