RESEARCH METHODS IN STUDY OF FOREST ENVIRONMENT. 151 
Anemometers, wind vanes, and supports — Continued. 
Combined wind vane and anemometer support, 20 feet high, adapted 
for use with quadruple register; complete with 6-foot vane, 
electrical contacts, etc., but without anemometer $105. 50 
Wind vane, 4 feet, on 7-foot support, with direction arms, gilt let- 
ters, and anemometer support, but without anemometer 35.00 
Wind vane and support, as above, but without anemometer or 
anemometer support arm 27. 50 
Support for anemometer alone, without vane, direction arms, or 
anemometer 15. 00 
EVAPORATION. 
No ecological study can be considered comprehensive which does 
not take into account the desiccating power or " evaporation stress '• 
of the atmosphere. While the water supply of the soil has been con- 
sidered as the condition most directly determining the character of 
vegetation on a given site, and its rate of growth, almost equal at- 
tention must be given to the matter of the dissemination through 
transpiration of the moisture which reaches the plant. The evapora- 
tion rate in different habitats will perhaps be found to show greater 
variation than any other condition. It is especially valuable, when 
measured directly, because it gives the integrated effect of wind, 
humidity, air temperature and sunshine— an integration which can 
not be accomplished by any artificial means. While it is not to be 
expected that any instrument will integrate the effect of these differ- 
ent stimuli to evaporation in a manner corresponding to their com- 
bined effect on the plant, yet this is the object to which the greatest 
efforts have been bent and which has to some extent been attained. 
The study of the evaporation factor may be made directly, of 
course, by observing the transpiration of plants in the field. While 
very desirable and not very difficult, this is perhaps less satisfactory 
than the instrumental method in reducing the conditions of the en- 
vironment to physical terms. Since this discussion is mainly con- 
cerned w 7 ith instrumental procedure in forest investigations, the 
instrumental method, even though less desirable than direct measure- 
ments of transpiration, will be considered first. 
Objects and Nature of Evaporation Measurements. 
There may be two rather distinct objects in measuring evaporation 
rates, although in ecology there is only one. Climatologists, irriga- 
tion engineers, etc., may desire to know, for local conditions and for 
general comparative purposes, how much capacity the atmosphere 
possesses day by day and year by year to take up moisture wdien 
offered moisture, as freely as possible, from the surface of a body 
of water. Obviously this does not measure the capacity of the 
atmosphere, which could better be determined by humidity observa- 
