808 EXPERIMENT STATION EECORD. [Vol. 35 



METEOROLOGY. 



Weather forecasting in the United States {U. S. Dept. Agr., Weather Bur. 

 Doc. 583 {1916), pp. 370, pis. Ifl, figs. 48). — This is a handbook or manual de- 

 designed especially for " the officials of the Weather Bureau for their guidance 

 in qualifying themselves in the art of forecasting." It is the joint work of a 

 board consisting of A. J. Henry (chairman), E. H. Bowie, H. J. Cox, and H. C 

 Frankenfield, appointed for the purpose, but embodies contributions from 

 various Weather Bureau officials especially experienced in actual forecasting. 

 The various chapters and contributors are as follows: Introductory Note — 

 General Principles and Theories of Atmospheric Motions, by C. F. Marvin; 

 General Circulation of the Atmosphere, by W. J. Humphreys; Weather Fore- 

 casting — Preliminary Statement, by A. J. Henry ; Auxiliary Pressure-change 

 Charts, by A. J. Henry ; Lows and Highs — General Considerations, by A. J. 

 Henry ; Cold Waves, by H. J. Cox et al. ; Frost Warnings, by H. .T. Cox et al. ; 

 Forecasting High Winds, by E. H. Bowie et al. ; Heavy Snow, Sleet, and Ice 

 Storms, Fog, by H. C. Frankenfield, and Thunderstorms, by A. J. Henry ; 

 Weather and Temperature Forecasts, Washington District, by A. J. Henry; 

 Forecasting the Weather and Temperature, Chicago District, by H. J. Cox; 

 Forecasting Weather and Temperature, New Orleans, Denver, Portland (Oreg.), 

 and San Francisco Districts, by I. M. Cline, F. H. Brandenburg, E. A. Beals, 

 and G. H. Willson, respectively ; and Long Range Weather Forecasts, by E. H. 

 Bowie. 



As regards the book as a whole the chairman of the board says : " The book 

 will be a disappointment to those, if there be such, who have formed the ex- 

 pectation that it will solve the difficulties of the forecasting pi-oblem. The 

 consensus of opinion seems to be that the only road to successful forecasting 

 lies in the patient and consistent study of the daily weather maps. Wherein 

 the book will be helpful, however, is in the fact that it gives the experience 

 of those who have gone before, and it is in this sense that it will find its most 

 useful application." 



A selection of books and papers, in English, on weather forecasting by Miss 

 Eleanor Buynitsky is included. 



Principles of study of the weather, G. LfuBOSLAvsKiI (Ostiovanita UcheniiH 

 o Pogodie. Petrograd, 1915, 2. ed., pp. VII+Jfl2, pis. 4, figs. i87).— This is a 

 general treatise on meteorology, consisting of a revision and amplification of 

 a series of lectures by the author at the Imperial Institute of Forestry. Fol- 

 lowing an introductory chapter on meterology in general, there are seven chap- 

 ters on various phases of the statics of the atmosphere, four on the dynamics 

 of the atmosphere, and two on weather and climate. 



Tables for computing the time of moonrise and moonset, H. H. Kimbaxl 

 (U. 8. Dept. Agr., Weather Bur. Doc. 580 {1916), pp. 29).—" These tables have 

 been prepared in response to repeated demands for a simple means of deter- 

 mining the time of moonrise and moonset at Weather Bureau stations. They 

 are adapted from more extensive manuscript tables, furnished by the U. S. 

 Nautical Almauac Office, for computing the time of moonrise and moonset at 

 any place in the United States." 



Fall frosts (U. S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Weather and Crop Bui. 24 {1916), p. 3).-~ 

 " The average date of the beginning of corn harvest in the extreme northern 

 section of the United States is between September 1 and 15, or only slightly 

 earlier than the average date of the first killing frost. In the northern part of 

 the so-called corn States the average date of the first fall frost is between 

 September 25 and October 1, and in the southern part of this region about 

 October 20. A killing frost has been recorded in most of the central and 



