182 



BOAED OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



WORK OF THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF 

 AGRICULTURE. 



BY HOX. J. H. BRIGHAM, ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 



Although of comparatively recent establishment, the 

 Department of Agriculture is regarded as one of the most 

 important executive branches of the government. It com- 

 prises twenty-two bureaus and divisions. 



AVeATHER BlTiEAU. 



The "Weather Bureau, the largest bureau of the depart- 

 ment, extends its operations over every part of the United 

 States and many of our dependencies. Its value to the 

 farmer is well illustrated in the large amount of money an- 

 nually saved by the warnings of cold waves. Immediately 

 upon the development of a marked cold wave, the meteoro- 

 logical stations of the Bureau are directed to make observa- 

 tions every few hours in the regions immediately in advance 

 of the cold wave, and to telegraph the same to headquarters. 

 AVarnings are then sent to all who have produce or perish- 

 able articles of manufacture that require protection from a 

 low temperature. The Bureau has distributed as many as 

 100,000 telegrams and me<?sages in the space of two hours, 

 and nearly every city, village and hamlet has received in- 

 formation in time to profit thereby. 



The importance of this information to the fanner is ex- 

 emplified by the statements gathered by the Bureau from 

 persons interested relative to the sw^p of one cold wave, 

 which showed that over $3,400,000 worth of property that 

 would have been destroyed by the low temperatiu'e was 

 saved. 



The Weather Bureau has a complete system for the accu- 



