50 ANXUAL REPOETS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



teimnce and operation of seacoast telegraph lir.os and the collection and trans- 

 mission of marine intelligence for the benefit of commerce and navigation ; the 

 reporting of temperature and rainfall conditions for the cotton interests; the 

 display of frost, cold-wave, and other signals; the distribution of meteorological 

 information in the interest of agriculture and conunerce; and the taking of 

 such meteorological observations as may be necessary to establish and record 

 llie climatic conditions of the United States, or are essential for the proper 

 execution of the foregoing duties. 



This organic act, ^vith interpretations and extensions by subsc- 

 (]uent annual appropriations, assigns to the Weather Bureau th'.^ 

 entire domain of meteorology, including the duty of preparation and 

 issue of forecasts and Avarnings of weather, storms, cold waves, heavy 

 snows, floods, and the stages of rivers, all in the interest of commerce, 

 agriculture, and navigation. At present it maintains over 200 fully 

 equipped meteorological stations, and about 1,400 substations classi- 

 fied as special meteorological, river, storm-warning, hurricane, ma- 

 rine, cotton-region, corn-and-wheat-region, fruit, cranberry, and fire- 

 weather warning stations. In addition to these the Bureau main- 

 tains, in connection with its climatological Avork, about 4,500 stations 

 known as cooperative stations, the equipment being furnished by the 

 Bureau and the observations being taken by public-spirited citizens 

 who render gratuitous service. Its cooperative work extends to prac- 

 tically every ocean of the globe, and the masters of many vessels (the 

 number was greatly reduced by the war, but is now on the increase) 

 fdl out our forms of daily meteorological observations on every voy- 

 age, to be forwarded on arrival in port. Before the war daily ob- 

 servations received by cable and otherwise from selected stations 

 over the entire Northern Hemisphere were collected and published. 

 Negotiations to restore this exchange are under way, A highly 

 trained, efficient, and experienced personnel of over 800 commission- 

 ed employees, helped by about 1,400 who receive a small compensa- 

 tion for the regular performance of specific duties, conducts the work 

 of the Bureau, and in addition the marine and cooperative observers 

 constitute a host of nearly 6,000 public-spirited individuals who serve 

 gratuitously. Such, in brief, is the machinery and organization of 

 the Weather Bureau. 



While the Bureau is best known to the public through the issue of 

 its daily forecasts, maps, and bulletins, there is no doubt that its 

 greatest value in an economic sense consists in the immense saving 

 effected by its special warnings, as of storms and hurricanes for the 

 benefit of marine interests, warnings of floods that occur on the prin- 

 cipal rivers, warnings of cold waves which accomplish protection 

 to property and food stuffs liable to damage by injuriously low tem- 

 })eratures, and warnings of frost and freezing weather for the benefit 

 of the fruit, sugar, tobacco, cranberr}^, market gardening, and other 

 interests. 



Its duties and autliorities by law are broad and comprehensive, 

 and post-Avar conditions bring it new and important obligations and 

 responsibilities Avhich it is fully alert to recognize and eager to dis- 

 chaige. AYith the experience and traditions of nearly 50 years to its 

 credit, the Bureau is in a position to render practically ever}^ service 

 of a meteorological nature Avhich may be required of such an agency 

 and at an economy of expenditure of public funds Avhich can not bo 

 surpassed, or CAcn equaled, by any ncAv agency. 



