The U. S. Weather Bureau 



39 



of the great floods of March, April, and 

 June, 1903, afford noteworthy examples 

 of the efficiency of this service. This 

 should be extended to the Kansas and 

 other rivers, where no stations have yet 

 been established. 



DISTRIBUTION OF FORECASTS AND 

 SPECIAL WARNINGS 



Inadequate appropriations have pre- 

 vented any extensions in the important 

 work of distributing forecasts and spe- 

 cial warnings, and of necessity our 

 efforts have been confined to maintaining 

 the service already in operation, with 

 its various ramifications, and adopting 

 such suggested improvements as might 

 be effected without additional expense. 



A marked increase (nearly 20,000) is 

 shown in the number of places receiving 

 forecasts by telephone without expense 

 to the Government of the United States, 

 and with the rapid extension of " farm- 

 ers ' telephone lines ' ' opportunity is 

 afforded for placing weather informa- 

 tion directly in the homes of the more 

 progressive agriculturists, as well as in 

 the telephone exchanges of rural centers 

 of population, where it is posted for the 

 general information of the public. 



The National Climate and Crop Bul- 

 letin has been issued in the usual form, 

 with charts showing the current tem- 

 perature and precipitation, extremes of 

 temperatures, and the departures from 

 the normal of both temperature and 

 precipitation. In this bulletin the cur- 

 rent meteorological conditions are dis- 

 cussed in their relation to crop growth 



from the beginning to the end of the 

 crop season. 



EDUCATIONAL WORK 



The Weather Bureau has, through 

 its officials at the various stations 

 throughout the country, taken an active 

 part in public education along meteor- 

 ological lines. In 12 colleges or uni- 

 versities during the past year Weather 

 Bureau officials have conducted regular 

 courses of lectures or classes of instruc- 

 tion in meteorology and climatology, 

 and at 5 of these institutions the official 

 is a member of the faculty. At 16 sta- 

 tions the officials have delivered occa- 

 sional addresses outside of their offices 

 to schools or colleges, and at 28 stations 

 they have given frequent talks in their 

 offices to pupils and teachers of schools. 

 In 14 instances they have delivered oc- 

 casional addresses outside of their offices 

 to farmers' institutes and similar organ- 

 izations. Only a few years ago there 

 was very little instruction of this nature 

 given in our colleges, universities, or 

 public schools, but the demand for it 

 has rapidly increased. The action of 

 the Bureau in this direction will un- 

 doubtedly result in a wider knowledge 

 and a more intelligent understanding of 

 its work, and a consequent increase in 

 its usefulness and value. Many of the 

 young men who receive instruction in 

 these classes are attracted to the service 

 of the Bureau as an occupation, and the 

 Bureau profits by securing a class of 

 employes with special training and 

 equipment. 



Cotton for England — The desperate ef- 

 forts Kugland is making to grow cotton 

 in her colonies in Africa, India, Ceylon, 

 and Australia are described at length 

 by the United States consul to Liver- 

 pool. James Boyle (Consular Reports, 

 November 20, 1903, No. 1806). The 

 recent cornering of American cotton 



has caused great distress in England 

 and has made English cotton manufact- 

 urers acutely realize what will happen 

 to them in a few years when the United 

 States uses all the American crop. 

 Their only hope is the possibility of the 

 British colonies being able to supply 

 them with cotton. 



