June 12, 1903.] 



SCIENCE. 



923 



were to sweep up the Atlantic coast unan- 

 nounced, would leave wreckage to the 

 amount of $2,000,000, without considering 

 the loss of life. There has not been a storm 

 of marked violence along the coast in the 

 past eight years warnings for which were 

 not issued from eight to twenty-four hours 

 in advance of its approach. 



Warnings of floods in the river valleys 

 of the United States are also of great value. 

 In the great flood of 1897 in the lower Mis- 

 sissippi valley, warnings were distributed 

 over the inundated districts four to five 

 days in advance of the flood, with the result 

 that almost all of the movable property was 

 taken to higher ground and saved. It is 

 estimated that $7,000,000 worth of prop- 

 erty was removed from the Yazoo valley 

 alone on this occasion. 



Warnings of those sudden temperature 

 changes known as cold waves are of great 

 importance. In January, 1896, a cold 

 ■wave of exceptional severity swept over 

 nearly the entire country east of the Rocky 

 Mountains. Warnings of its approach 

 were sent to nearly every weather bureau 

 station in that region from twelve to 

 twenty-four hours in advance. Informa- 

 tion gathered systematically from shippers 

 of perishable products and other interests 

 affected disclosed the fact that the warn- 

 ings resulted in the saving of over $5,500,- 

 000 in the protection of property from in- 

 jury or destruction. 



The frost warnings recently issued for 

 Florida, when the temperature in the 

 northern part of the state fell as low as 

 20° to 24°, and frost formed as far south as 

 Tampa, resulted in the probable saving of 

 hundreds of thousands of dollar.s to the 

 tn;ck interests of that state. 



These are but a few instances of prop- 

 erty and money values saved, and they give 

 a very incomplete idea of the full economic 

 value of the Weather Bureau forecasts and 



warnings to the interests of the country. 

 The work of the bureau in the collection 

 and publication of data and the issue of 

 forecasts and warnings affects the daily 

 life of the people to a very great extent, 

 and becomes an important factor in their 

 various avocations and business enterprises. 



Economic Work of the Bureau of Animal 



Industry: Dr. D. B. Salmon, chief of 



Bureau. 



The Bureau of Animal Industry is re- 

 quired by its organic act "to investigate 

 and report upon the condition of the 

 domestic animals of the United States, 

 their protection and use, and also inquire 

 into and report the causes of contagious, 

 infectious and communicable diseases 

 among them, and the means for the pre- 

 vention and cure of the same, and to col- 

 lect such information on the subjects as 

 shall be valuable to the agricultural and 

 commercial interests of the country." 



Since the organization of the bureau, 

 however, it has been given from time to 

 time a great amount of executive work, and 

 this now largely exceeds the investigations 

 which constituted the original object of 

 its establishment. Thus it is expected to 

 control and stamp out the contagious dis- 

 eases of animals which are dangerous to 

 interstate or foreign commerce ; to prevent 

 the introduction of diseases from foreign 

 countries by an inspection and quarantine 

 of imported animals ; to inspect and certify 

 to the healthfulness of exported animals: 

 to supervise and control the fittings of 

 steamships which carry our animals to 

 foreign countries; to inspect the meat 

 slaughtered for interstate or foreign com- 

 merce ; and to inspect and certify to the 

 qiiality of dairy products that are ex- 

 ported. 



This brief summary will give an idea of 

 the scope of the duties of this bureau under 

 existing laws. 



