696 KANSAS CITY REVIEW OF SCIENCE. 
In the period of this report, from January 20th to February 20th, snow fell 
on five (5) days, viz: January 26th, February 7th, 12th, 14th and 19th. On 
the night of the 1 2th during a storm of sleet and temperature below 20° F. a 
severe thunder-storm occurred. Although such storms are not unusual here in 
the winter months, the low temperature and severity makes this one worthy of 
note. 
There were twelve days during the first two decades of February when 
cloudiness avera^d more than 0.8. The 13th and 14th insts. were the coldest 
days, morning temperature -5° on the 13th. 
On the 17th I saw a flock of ten robins. These birds and meadow-larks 
have been seen about here at intervals all this winter. There were a couple of 
days following the storm of sleet on the 12th when sleighs were out, but there 
has been no good sleighing here this winter. 
STATE WEATHER BUREAUS. 
We have many times had occasion to call attention to the value of a popular 
system of meteorological observations, particularly in those districts which are 
annually the scenes of terrible destruction dealt by tornadoes. The areas covered 
by these dreadful storms are so small that it is only by the closest observation that 
their development can be detected. We print elsewhere an outline of a system 
of "State Weather Services," proposed by the Chief Officer of the Signal Bureau 
at Washington, that commends itself to the attention of the Governors throughout 
the Union. The good results of a continuous record of atmospheric changes 
cannot be exaggerated, because there is not an industry in the country that 
would not derive some benefit therefrom. Not only would the cause of destruc- 
tive storms be ascertained, but also the investigations as to the sources from 
which the different diseases dependent on atmospheric phenomena arise would 
be laid bare. 
General Hazen, who since his appointment to the position of Chief Signal 
Officer, has made several changes in the service that cannot fail to call forth the 
approval of the public, now proposes a scheme which if developed, will prove of 
great benefit to every one. Over the broad expanse of territory lying between 
the Rocky Mountains and the Atlantic coast-line the Signal Service Bureau has 
about ninety stations, from which are sent to Washington three daily meteoro- 
logical observations. By charting those reports the location and character of the 
areas of high and low pressure are discovered, and upon them depend the weather 
forecasts that are made every day at the central office. Owing to the small num- 
ber of the stations they must be necessarily be very far apart ; hence General 
Hazen's proposition, which is as follows : Each State in the Union should have 
an independent Weather Service for the purpose of gathering and utilizing local 
climatic data. By such a system the people would in time become conversant 
with physical conditions of every locality and be guided thereby. In the tornado 
