188 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



forecasts for their immediate yicinity, and with the transfer 

 of the Weather Bureau twenty local forecast officials were 

 appointed. New England has two of those forecast officials, 

 I suppose because we have twice as much weather as any 

 other section of the country. Their forecasts are made in 

 the morning for the following day, and cover until midnight. 

 The Washington officials are now sometimes forecasting one 

 day in advance, and after the first day of the year they will 

 do that regularly. Then the display can be made in the 

 afternoon indicating the weather for the next day. That 

 cannot fail to be a benefit to farmers, especially during the 

 summer months. We must not look for too much, however, 

 for when the forecast is made for one day in advance the 

 prediction loses a certain amount of reliability ; but just how 

 much of the probable accuracy we are willing to give up for 

 the sake of a longer forecast can only be determined by 

 trial and hearty co-operation. 



There are at present in Massachusetts about seventy-five 

 stations, making daily observations of temperature and 

 precipitation. Two of them are regularly established 

 Weather Bureau stations, one at Boston and one at Nan- 

 tucket ; the others are volunteer observers. The stations at 

 Boston and Nantucket have a good many instruments and do 

 a large amount of work, that at Boston especially ; but all 

 the others report monthly to our office on blanks furnished 

 by the Society. The eastern part of the State is well repre- 

 sented, but there are several sections in the western part 

 where observers are desired. We wish one for the western 

 part of Hampshire and Hampden counties and the south- 

 western part of Berkshire County, and in Worcester County 

 near North Dana. We wish some agricultural body or 

 school to get the instruments and put them in the hands of 

 some reliable person to make the observations; or, if that 

 cannot be done, arrangements can be made for loaning a 

 set of thermometers and a rain gauge to reliable par- 

 ties. The cost of the full set of instruments is about 

 $30. We regret that no compensation can be given for 

 this work, for it is work that should be paid for ; but that is 

 entirely out of the question. We desire to secure men 

 whom we can depend upon, men interested in the subject. 



