﻿46 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  terms 
  with 
  the 
  landowners, 
  to 
  take 
  lands 
  under 
  condemnation 
  

   proceedings. 
  1 
  

  

  The 
  Adirondack 
  plateau 
  is 
  a 
  rugged, 
  rocky 
  region, 
  sparsely 
  

   populated, 
  and 
  worthless 
  for 
  agriculture. 
  Its 
  chief 
  value 
  lies 
  in 
  

   a 
  complete 
  utilization 
  of 
  such 
  natural 
  resources 
  as 
  attach 
  to 
  its 
  

   unparalleled 
  water-yielding 
  capacity. 
  From 
  this 
  point 
  of 
  view 
  it 
  

   may 
  easily 
  become 
  an 
  important 
  factor 
  in 
  the 
  future 
  development 
  

   of 
  New 
  York. 
  To 
  insure 
  this 
  result, 
  the 
  water 
  yield 
  of 
  every 
  

   stream 
  of 
  the 
  region 
  needs 
  to 
  be 
  conserved 
  by 
  reservoir 
  systems. 
  

  

  DATA 
  OF 
  CLIMATE 
  IN 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  

  

  Climate 
  may 
  be 
  defined 
  as 
  the 
  atmospheric 
  conditions 
  affecting 
  

   life, 
  health 
  and 
  comfort, 
  and 
  including 
  temperature, 
  moisture, 
  

   prevailing 
  winds, 
  pressure, 
  etc. 
  

  

  The 
  climatic 
  data 
  of 
  New 
  York 
  have 
  been 
  accumulating 
  for 
  

   over 
  seventy-five 
  years. 
  In 
  1825 
  the 
  Board 
  of 
  Regents 
  organized 
  

   a 
  systematic 
  service 
  at 
  over 
  fifty 
  schools 
  and 
  academies 
  in 
  the 
  

   State. 
  This 
  is 
  noteworthy 
  as 
  being 
  the 
  first 
  important 
  attempt 
  

   made 
  in 
  this 
  country 
  towards 
  the 
  investigation 
  of 
  local 
  climate. 
  

   In 
  1854-59 
  the 
  Smithsonian 
  Institution 
  began 
  the 
  distribution 
  of 
  

   meteorological 
  instruments 
  throughout 
  the 
  State 
  and 
  a 
  large 
  num- 
  

   ber 
  of 
  observations 
  were 
  taken, 
  some 
  of 
  them 
  by 
  private 
  parties, 
  

   from 
  1826-1875. 
  The 
  work 
  of 
  the 
  Board 
  of 
  Regents 
  was 
  discon- 
  

   tinued 
  in 
  1863, 
  although 
  weather 
  records 
  were 
  maintained 
  at 
  the 
  

   military 
  posts 
  at 
  Sackett 
  Harbor, 
  Plattsburg 
  and 
  in 
  New 
  York 
  

   harbor, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  by 
  independent 
  observers. 
  From 
  1871 
  to 
  about 
  

   1874 
  stations 
  were 
  established 
  by 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  Signal 
  Service 
  

   at 
  Buffalo, 
  Rochester, 
  Oswego, 
  Albany 
  and 
  New 
  York 
  city, 
  and 
  

   in 
  1895 
  at 
  Binghamton. 
  In 
  1903 
  a 
  station 
  was 
  established 
  at 
  

   Syracuse. 
  

  

  The 
  State 
  Meteorological 
  Bureau 
  was 
  organized 
  in 
  1889, 
  and 
  

   for 
  ten 
  years, 
  in 
  consideration 
  of 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  observations, 
  the 
  

   records 
  are 
  the 
  most 
  satisfactory 
  thus 
  far 
  made. 
  In 
  1899 
  this 
  

   bureau 
  passed 
  under 
  the 
  control 
  of 
  the 
  Department 
  of 
  Agriculture 
  

  

  1 
  The 
  State 
  holdings 
  in 
  the 
  Adirondack 
  region 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  year 
  1902 
  may 
  be 
  

   determined 
  by 
  reference 
  to 
  a 
  Map 
  of 
  the 
  Adirondack 
  Forest 
  and 
  Adjoining 
  

   Territory 
  as 
  issued 
  by 
  the 
  Forest, 
  Fish, 
  and 
  Game 
  Commission 
  in 
  1902. 
  

  

  