1917] 



MET-ROROLOGY. 



209 



climatic zones, of which the characteristic conditions of physiography, tempera- 

 ture, pressure, winds, humidity, evaporation, and rainfall are described, with 

 a brief note on tornadoes and a short description of the more general climatic 

 characteristics of the region. 



The correlation of rainfall and the succeeding crops with special reference 

 to the Punjab, S. M. Jacob {Agr. Joiir. India, Indian Sci. Cong. No., 1916, pp. 

 86-102, pis. 11). — Studies of the relation between the July, August, September, 

 and October rainfall and area sown to crops and between the September-March 

 rainfall and the yield of crops are reported. These studies were made as a 

 necessary preliminary to the successful forecasting of the total crop produc- 

 tion. The studies are based on 30 years' (1886 to 1915) observations on irri- 

 gated wheat, unirrigated wheat and gram, and all other unirrigated crops. The 

 general outcome of the application of the various correlations observed was an 

 error of prediction for the area of irrigated wheat of 5.6 per cent of the mean ; 

 of unirrigated crops 9 per cent of the mean. 



The Kincer method of prediction of yield of cotton, based on the assumption 

 that the best conditions are the normal ones (E. S. R., 33, p. 117), was applied 

 to unirrigated wheat. " The weighted rainfall in each month was added to- 

 gether, and a coefficient of benefit B obtained, and this was correlated with the 

 area of unirrigated wheat for 1900 to 1915. The correlation is — 0.91, even 

 higher than Kincer's figure of 0.88. The formula giving the percentage of 

 failure in terms of the coefficient B is ir=24.2 — 0.35B." The agreement of the 

 values shown by this formula is, in the opinion of the author, very good and 

 " affords a posteriori justification of the hypothesis. The introduction of suit- 

 able corrections for other climatic factors, such as temperature, sunshine, 

 evaporation, precipitation in the form of dew, wind, and the like would improve 

 the prediction still further." 



The climatic control of Australian production, G. Tayloe {Commomcealth 

 Bur. Met. Aust. Bui. 11 [1916], pp. 32, pis. 7, figs. 10; rev. in Scot. Geogr. Mag., 

 32 {1916), No. 10, p. 487).— The distribution and production of cattle, sheep, 

 and wheat with reference to climate is discussed. This seems to depend mainly 

 upon the rainfall, particularly in the case of wheat. Temperature is also a 

 limiting factor in the case of wheat, but less so in the case of cattle and sheep. 



It is shown that the most intensive cattle production occurs in the eastern 

 and wetter (over 20 in. of annual rainfall) parts of the country, and that the 

 greatest sheep production occurs in areas having from 15 to 20 in. of rainfall. 

 The relation of wheat growing to temperature and rainfall in the different 

 Australian States is shown in the following table ; 



Relation of temperature and rainfall to wheat production in Australia. 



