414 EXPERIMENT STATION RECOED. 



Work of the central meteorological bureau in 1906, J. J. A. Bouquet de 

 LA Gri-e (Bul. Mens. Off. Renseig. Afjr. [Parish, 6 (1007), Xo. 7, pp. 827-832).— 

 This article summarizes the work of the bureau during the year on clima- 

 tology and general meteorology throughout France, as well as in Algeria and 

 Tunis, and describes briefly the improvements in equipment of various local 

 observatories, the functions of the meteorological commissions of the differ- 

 ent departments of France, and the ])rogress made in France and abroad 

 in the investigation of the cause and possible prevention of hail. 



The climate of Sao Paulo, J. N. Belfort ue Mattos {Boh Agr. [»S'(7o Paulo], 

 8. ser., 1907, No. 6, pp. 260-26-'/). — This is a brief general description of the 

 main climatic features of the region. 



Correlation of the weather and crops. R. H. Hooker (Jour. Roy. f^tatis. 

 8oc., 70 (1907), No. 1, pp. 1-51). — In amplification and extension of the ideas 

 advanced by W. N. Shaw (E, S. R., 18, p. 713), the author calculates the 

 correlation coefficients between rainfall and temperature of various periods 

 and the yield of wheat, barley, oats, peas, beans, potatoes, turnips, ruta-bagas, 

 mangel-wurzels, and hay in a selected area, consisting of the counties of 

 Lincoln, Huntingdon, Cambridge, Norfolk. Suffolk, Essex. Bedford, and Hert- 

 ford, England. In tracing the relation between rainfall and crop yields 

 he assumes that the maximum coefficient indicates the period of greatest 

 Influence, and on this basis discusses in detail the figures obtained for each 

 of the individual crops. 



The discussion following the reading of this paper indicated the prevalence 

 of the opinion that the data presented were suggestive rather than conclusive, 

 but that such papers as this and those by Shaw open ui) a new and very 

 promising field of investigation. 



Precipitations, their income and outgo in relation to droughts, INI. Neru- 

 CHEV (Zap. Imp. Obshch. Selsk. Khoz. Yuzli. Ro.^ft., 1906, No. 4-6; ahs. in 

 Zhur. Opuitn. Agron. [Russ. Jour. Expt. Landic], 8 (1907), No. 1, pp. 119, 120).— 

 The author attributes the droughts in Southern Russia, not so much to 

 deficiency of precipitation as to excessive loss of the moisture, mainly through 

 evaporation. He quotes different investigators, from which it appears that 

 in Southern Russia the evaporation not only absorbs the entire precipita- 

 tion, but considerably exceeds it. If • this is the case, the question arises, 

 from what source does the plant derive its water supply? To this Professor 

 Klossovski gives the following answer : The losses of water in the form 

 of evaporation are compensated by the power, not only of the soil, but also 

 of the rock species to condense in their pores considerable quantities of water 

 absorbed from the atmosphere. The atmospheric moisture is absorbed by 

 the soil, and compensates the losses by evaporation. This being the case, 

 it would seem that severe droughts in Southern Russia are due to the unpro- 

 ductive expenditure of the soil moisture through excessive surface run-off 

 in case of torrential rains and, in the author's opinion, in part to imperfect 

 absorption by the soil, due to shallow plowing. — p. fireman. 



Deficient humidity of the atmosphere, T. A. Starkey and H. T. Barnes 

 (Proc. and Trans. Roy. 8oc. Canada, 2. srr., 12 (1906), Sec. Ill, pp. 203-211).— 

 The injurious effects of excessive dryness in the air of houses and means of 

 overcoming such unfavorable conditions are described. 



International catalogue of scientific literature. F — Meteorology (Internat. 

 Cat. Sci. Lit., 5 (1907), pp. VIII + 283).— This is the fifth annual issue of this 

 catalogue, covei'ing mainly the literature of 190.5, but also Including some refer- 

 ences to the literatux'e of 1001 to 1904 omitted fi'om previous issues. 



Surface water supply of [different regions of the United States], 1906 

 (U. ^'. Ocul. Survey, Water-Supply and IrrUj. Papers Nos. 202, pp. 77, pis. 2, 



