6o The Ottawa Naturalist. [June 



the very nature of farming, the necessary isolation of a farmer 

 he will always be at a more or less disadvantage in obtaining the 

 daily predictions compared for instance with another very in- 

 terested party^ — the ship captain, who, when in port, is in direct 

 contact with the telegraph service and weather bureau, and can 

 govern his departure accordingly. Bankers and brokers 

 appreciate and watch closely the forecasts. Obviously whatever 

 affects crops, commerce, or business and industry affects them. 

 Commission merchants and shippers of produce of a perishable 

 nature find the forecasts of the greatest assistance. In main- 

 taining equable and comfortable temperatures in large office 

 buildings, for example, the predictions are of the greatest value 

 if intelligently read. 



In no branch of human affairs can the value of forecasts be 

 so readily expressed in dollars as in shipping. For here we can 

 easily find out at any time the number of vessels in port, and 

 the number detained by storm warning from going to sea and 

 exposing themselves to the furies of storms and tornados with 

 possible utter destruction. The annual saving in this way to 

 navigation on this continent runs into the millions, and in this 

 interest alone the cost or outlay of the meteorological service is 

 returned manifold. Frost warnings are of great importance. 

 Thus, during the latter part of the season of 1 891, just at harvest 

 time, when the wheat crop of Northern Dakota and Northern 

 Minnesota required a week or ten days to mature, extensive 

 preparations were made by farmers to avert injury from frost. 

 Material for smudge fires was collected and made ready to be 

 fired upon receipt of the frost warning. Through the co-opera- 

 tion of the telegraph companies the warnings were widely dis- 

 seminated and at the proper time the fires were lighted, and 

 many million bushels of wheat saved. This was in the far north. 

 In the far south in the same season 75 per cent, of the vegetable 

 and fruit crop was protected by smudge fires kindled at the 



