942 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



phenomena at Harvey, Wis., which is directly east of Madison, away from any small 

 lakes, but nearer Lake Michigan, it is found that at Harvey killing frosts occur, as 

 a rule, two weeks later in the spring and two weeks earlier in the fall. Thus the 

 growing season is lengthened about one month at Madison, apparently by the influ- 

 ence of the presence of lakes Mendota and Monona." 



The average annual rainfall during 36 years has been about 37 inches. " Dry 

 spells are of almost annual occurrence at Madison, and occasionally pronounced 

 droughts occur." 



"The prevailing winds vary from northwest during November-March, to south 

 during the remainder of the year. These two directions prevail nearly equally." 



A first report on the relations between climates and crops, C. Abbe ( U. S. 

 Dept. Ayr., Weather Bur. Bui. 36, j>j>. 386). — This bulletin summarizes the views of 

 investigators and observers on this subject which had been published up to 1891. 

 Numerous extracts from the more important contributions to the subject are included. 

 "The work is prepared with the idea that it will be especially useful to the teachers 

 of the agricultural colleges and the investigators of the agricultural experiment 

 stations." 



The subject is presented from three points of view: (1) Physiological, including 

 results of studies such as those of Sachs and other physiological botanists; (2) exper- 

 imental, including results obtained by the methods pursued by agricultural experi- 

 ment stations, and botanical and biological laboratories; and (3) statistical, embody- 

 ing the results obtained by "comparing the statistics of the successive annual harvests 

 in the country at large with the statistics of the prevailing climatic conditions." 



The bulletin is divided into four parts as follows: (1) Laboratory work, physio- 

 logical and experimental, (2) open air work— experience in natural climates, (3) 

 statistical farm work, and (4) authorities. 



The author emphasizes especially "the importance of a climatic laboratory and the 

 methods that must be pursued in order to evolve new varieties of crop plants adapted 

 to special climatic conditions." 



It is said that "a continuation of this study, bringing the subject up to date, is 

 contemplated." 



Weather forecast, D. E. Hutchixs {Rev. in Ayr. Jour. Cape Good Hope, 28 (1906), 

 No. 1, pp. 98-105). — This is a review of a paper by Mr. Hutchins and its discussion 

 before the South African Philosophical Society on long-period forecasts and of the 

 various cycles on which they are based, namely, (1) the sunspot or solar cycle of 

 11.11 years; (2) a cycle, with alternating periods of 9 and 10 years, termed the storm 

 cycle; and (3) a cycle with alternating periods of 12 and 13 years, termed Meldrum 

 cycle. 



The author's conclusions with regard to the application of these cycles in weather 

 forecasting are as follows: " (1) The three main weather cycles are of general appli- 

 cation throughout South Africa. 1 had considered in 1888 that the storm cycle 

 brought practically no rain to the eastern stations, and Meldrum's cycle little or no 

 rain to western stations. The experience of the last 17 years shows that both may 

 extend east and west beyond their area of greatest inliuence. (2) Observations from 

 the northern stations are as yet too short to draw safe conclusions, but they seem to 

 indicate that the pulse of heavier rainfall occurs a season earlier at northern stations 

 (Transvaal and Rhodesia). (3) There are obscure indications of a tendency to rain 

 at the sunspot minimum, and possibly the irregular rain of 1902 may be accounted 

 for as a sunspot minimum rain. It so happens that the normal sunspot minimum 

 periods ( 1 1-22-33-44-55. 5-67-78-89-1C0 in each century ) have since the year 1841 so 

 frequently coincided with other cycles that the exact influence of the sunspot mini- 

 mum is difficult to trace. In the long chain of the Royal Observatory rainfall figures, 

 the sunspot minimum has had no practical influence till we get to the doubtful case of 

 the 1902 rains. At other stations sunspot minimum rains are more clearly traceable. 



