OCTOBER, 1898. MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW. 467
NOTES FROM THE OUTOBER REPORTS OF THE
CLIMATE AND UROP SEOTIONS.
ALASKA.
Although no printed general report has yet been received
from the Alaska section of the Climate and Crop Service,
which is now being established by Mr. H. L. Ball, section
director, yet, as we have just received Mr. Ball’s abstract of
Daily Journal for the months June-October, we think the
following extracts will be acceptable. (Mr. Ball notes that
mean local time is used temporarily a t this station).
June.-Considerable delay has occurred in opening the stn-
tion for the reason that no suitable quarters could be secured
until June IS. when a house known as the “ Swanson Cottage,”
situated on the road to the Russian ceni~tery, and imme-
diately north of Sitka, was secured for one month. Owing
to the uncertainty of stay, the instruments were not erected
uutil definite arrangements were concluded for the lease of
the buildings and ground for the six months beginning J d y
1, 1898. This was consunimated June 12. Immediately
thereafter the office supplies were moved and preparations
made for the erection of the instrument shelters, platforms,
and the installation of the instruments. The small, insecure
roof of the cottage forbade the erection thereon of a plat-
form, consequently a platform 18 by 18 feet, and 6 feet high,
was erected over sod. On this were placed anemometer and
wind vane supports and the sunshine recorder. The instru-
ment shelter was erected over sod and 25 feet distant from
the cottage, with theriiionieters 5.7 feet above sod. The rain-
gauge is 20 feet from the shelter and 45 feet from building,
and excellently esposed-free from obstruction of any kind.
Height of barometer cistern above mean sea level, 89.3 feet.
A plan of building, grouuds, instruments, and field notes of
survryor were prepared on Septem her 28, 1898, and forwarded
to the Central Office. The Sitka local Weather Bureau Office
was opened June 15.
The first part of this month was bright and pleasant, in fact
a11 extraordiiiarily warm and dry spell continued for nearly
two weeks, the 8th, 9th, and loth, being esceedingly warm.
The observer noted temperatures of 86“ on the 10th in sev-
eral parts of the town from good thermometers. This period
of sunshine and warmth was exceedingly beneficial to the
gardens planted by the Agricultural Experiment Station,
which were scpiewliat late in planting.
Jrtly.--On the 7th, Mr. H. L. Ball left for western Alaska
and the ohservations were kept up in his absence by Mrs. C.
C. Georgason as voluntary observer (Mrs. Georgeson is the
wife of Professor Georgeson, Director of the Agricultural
Experiment Station).
Azrgirut.--Mr. Ball still absent from Sitka.
Sppffmber.--Mr. Ball returned on the 20th. Cloudy and
rainy during the rest of the month. The first snow appeared
on the niountain tops on the 23d. Heavy squalls and two
flashes of lightniug w i t h distant thunder on the 25th. These
squalls passed from south to north and were preceded by
light dashrs of hail. Minimum temperature,
33O. The day was generally clear, bright, and quiet. Heavy
frost 011 the 2d, minimuin temperature, 34O. Killing frost
on the 3d with a wonderfully clear and bright morning, mini-
mum temperature, 33“. Ground frozen a t the surface 011 the
4th. Minimum temperature, 28O. Frequent squalls on the
20th passing along the coast from southwest to northwest; a
single flash of lightning and sharp peal of thunder.
Following are the means and extremes of temperature and
precipitation and other data illustrating the weather a t Sitka
during 1898:
Jzme.-Observations were made during the last half of the
monthonly. Maximum temperature, 69O, on the 17th; mini-
0etohar.-Heavy frosts on the 1st.
mum, 38O, on the 26th; mean for fifteen days, 64O. The
total precipitation was 1.37 inch; days with 0.01 inch or
more of rain, 9.
July.-Maximum temperature, 68O, on the 8th ; minimum,
43O, on the 13th; mean, 54.4O. Total precipitation, 3.97
inches; days with rain, 23; greatest fall in twenty-four
hours, 1.05 inch, on the 23d. Rain fell on every day from
the 18th to the 28th, both inclusive.
Aug~cst.-Maximum temperature, 78O, on the 10th ; mini-
mum, 42O, on the 28th; mean, 56O. Total rainfall, 3.92
inches; days with rain, 12; greatest number of consecutive
days with rain, 5 ; without, 12; greatest amount in twenty-
four hours, 1.70 inch. August was the warme& month of
the season.
Sei’te?,ibcr.-Maximuni temperature, 74O, on the 10th ; mini-
mum, 3 3 O , on the 19th ; mean, 52O. Total precipitation, 5.98
inches, on sixteen days ; greatest number of consecutive days
with rain, 7 ; without, 6 ; greatest fall in twenty-four hours,
0.66 inch.
October.-Highest sea-level pressure, not reduced to stand-
ard gravity, 30.32 inches, on the 5th; lowest, 29.10, on the
13th ; mean, 29.73. The reduction for gravity for latitude
57O is +0.03 inch. Maximum temperature, 5 8 O , on the 1st;
lowest, 28O, on the 4th; mean, 44.4O. Total precipitation,
8.22 inches ; days with precipitation, 23 ; greatest consecu-
tive number of days with precipitation, 10; without, 6 ;
greatest fall in 24 hours, 1.40 inch. A trace of snow fell on
the 30th.
ARIZONA.
Attention is called to the meeting of the State Agricultural
Association ; Mr. Burns, section director, has secured for the
voluntary observers in his State the right to a commission
from the Governor appointing them as delegates to the
Farmers’ National Congress, to be held a t Fort Worth, Tex.,
December 6-14. As he correctly statee, “The voluntary ob-
servers and crop correspondents represent in the highest
sense the best agricultural interests of this Territory.”
CALIFORNIA.
Rlr. W. H. Hanimon has increased the size of his monthly
report, and aniong other things admitted a very seasonable
article by Mr. Marsden Manson on the seasonal and monthly
rainfall a t San Francisco, 1849-1898. The rainfall is given
in full for every month and year, although there is no precise
information as to a possible systematic difference between the
rain gauge, 1849-1870, kept by Mr. Tennent, and that kept by
the Signal Service and Weather Bureau since that date. Mr.
bra 11 son concl nd es that-
It is entirely within the rnnge of scientific investigation to deter- mine in general H lint the contlitions are, and to foretell within reason- nhle limit8 the probable amuunt of the seasonal rainfall.
COLORADO.
The average temperature for Octoher was unusually low,
viz, 3.S0 below the normal. High areas in the north exerted
a controlling influence. The mean local pressure was normal,
but the barometric range was very large, due to the very low
pressure of October 1 . Mr. F. H. Brandenbnrg, section
director, says :
I t is probable that the extensive fires in the mountain region and Colorado Springs contributed largely to the development of the unueu- ally low pressure.
It occurs to the Editor that these fires lasted from the mid-
dle of Septemher to the middle of October, whereas the low-
est pressure did not last all this time. The fires did immense
damage to the forests and the interests of Colorado, but we
do not see how they could have produced low barometer on
the 1st a t Denver. All efforts to show that rain or heat or
aqueous vapor directly cause low pressures have failed to
MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW. OCTOBER, 1898
stand the criticism of those who best understand mechanic$
and physics, and we fear the same fate will befall the efforl
to demonstrate the inff uence of forest fires. Meteorologists ac-
cept Ferrel’s law that in the Northern Hemisphere the move-
ment of the air as wind produces a low pressure on the left.
hand side and a high pressure on the right-hand side-that if
to say, the wind while trying to move i n a straight line along
the earth’s surface and revolving around the earth’s axis once
a day, finds itself continually pushing toward the right, and
if there is air on that side it pushes against that and pro-
duces a high pressure on the right-hand side, hiit leaves a lon
pressure on the left. This is the ordinary niechanism b y
which areas of low pressure are formed in the Northern Hem-
isphere, no matter whether they are as small as the center of
a tornado or as large as our ordinary lows.
FLORIDA.
The section director, hlr. Mitchell, has drawn and printed
by the chalk-plate process, the chart of isobars for 8 a. m..
October 2, illustrating the severe hurricane of that date
This appears to be one of the few times that any one of the
section reports has ventured U ~O D illustrations other than the
two regular charts of isotherms and precipitation. We con-
gratulate Mr. Mitchell on his enterprise. Now that such
illustrations are shown to be possible, we hope that many of
the interesting phenomena and subjects will be illustrated
in the respective section reports. The Editor is told that
diagrams of insects injiirions to agriculture and sketches of
arrangements for making smudges to protect from frost have
already been published in this manner and there seems no
limit to the useful applications of the chalk-plate process.
GEORGIA.
The following paragraph, by Section Director Marbury.
catches the eye :
It is t h e general impression that owing to the low rice of cotton,
farmers are planning to tlevote a larger area than usuapto small grains.
The Editor has spent much time in studying the supposecl
relations of the climate to the crop. The total crop a@
harvested, and ae, presented in the statistics, depends largely
upon the anticipated market price, so that if high prices
are anticipated big crops will be raised. Even the yield
per acre is also subject to the influence of prices, for the
planter spericls more money in fertilizers and cultivation
and works enthusiastically for a larger yield per acre when
he anticipates that high prices will repay the labor. The
discouraged farmer has no energy, puts forth no effort, and
accepts small crops. The yield per acre is, therefore, by no
means an index to the influence of climate, but is very
largely affected by the morale of the farmer. A big crop is
usually the result of intellectual energy in taking advantage
of a favorable climate. In the irrigating States a big crop
is especially due to human energy and intellect.
We notice that the observer at Marshallville had a heavy
“equinoctial gale ” on the 2d. This is the first equinoctial
that has appeared in the h1oNTHLY WEATHER REVIEW for a
long time. As i t has been clearly shown that the equinoxes
(March 21 and September 21) have nothing to do with
storms on those dates, we can not see why the name should
be applied to a gale of October 2.
IOWA.
The October number of the Iowa Review contains some
interesting statistics relative to the growth of Indian corn or
maize, by Mr. E. R. HO~ROII, who is, we presume, a resident
of Iowa. I11 order to learn something about the rate of
growth, the height of the corn was measured a t certain
periods, while for other cases the averages are given, to show
the influence of temperature and moisture on different classee
of corn, viz, sweet, dent, pop, and flint, as distinugished from
their influence on specific individual plants. I n general, the
author concldes that “the period of greatest growth is from
June 25 to July 16, when the date of planting is May 9.”
Although during that period the rainfall is very low, yet the
soil is moist, owing to heavy rainfall early in the season ; the
temperature is high, and, as the corn is well developed, there-
fore the growth is rapid. I n the next period, July 16 to 26,
the rainfall still continnes low a d the temperature high ;
but we notice a decrease in growth ; the decrease of moisture
has comn~cnced to take effect.
During the 6rst period of growth, May 20 to May 30, the
coiiditions were favorable : corn had a good start and ought
to have grown rapidly during the nest period, May 30 to June
11, but, owing to the excessive moisture, the rainfall being
almost half an inch per day, the growth was not so rapid.
In the second part of Mr. Hodson’s paper he does nOt-EO
far ‘as the Editor can ascertain-make out a very clear case
as to the influence of temperature and moisture either of the
air or of the soil upon the germination and growth of the corn
plant. In fact, as the Editor has given considerable attention
to the study of climates and the growth of our crop plants, he
may, with considerable assurance, say that the growth of a
plant is altogether too complex a phenomenon to allow us to
hope that we can settle such questions hy means of observa-
tions made in the open air. The influence of the moisture
and temperature of the air depends upon the sunshine and
the wind. The influence of the air alone, without wind or
sunshine, can easily be seen if we cover up a plant, as when
a straw niulching is heaped up over an asparagus bed. The
corn could not come to perfection without the action of the
sunshine upon the green leaves, and this action depends upon
the amount of cloudiness or the hazy condition of the sky.
But the wind also conies in as a powerful influence in modi-
fying the action of the sunlight upon the plant. If one
wishes to determine with any accuracy the influence of any
special meteorological condition upon the plant or the crop,
he must raise the plant in a room within which all the many
conditions that influence the plant may be entirely under his
control. Every eflort to establish a definite relation between
the climate of any locality and the crops that are raised
therein has simply resulted in showing that under natural
conditions some sort of crop will be attained, no matter how
adverse, but that no specific percentages can be assigned as
representing the influence of each individual condition.
KENTUCKY.
Mr. H. B. Hersey, formerly section director for New Mexico,
having taken a leave of absence in order to serve in the recent
Spanish War as major in the first U. S. Volunteer Cavalry,
better known as the ‘‘ Rough Riders,” returned to Santa Fe
to resunie his work, but had scarcely dolie so before he was
Rssigued to duty a t Louisville, Ky. Major Hersey graduated
froni Norwich University, Vermont, in the class of 1885, and
has not only shown a great deal of energy in Weather Bureau
work a t several stations, but also became, during his five
years residence in New Mexico, a prominent and useful
citizen.
LOUISIdNA.
Nr. Alexander McAdie gives much prominence in the Octo-
ber REVIEW to the subject of frost and, especially, those local
features that intereet planters. Anioag the niany excellent
paragraphs in his article we quote several that bring out a feature uot often dwelt upon in works on meteorology.
Primarily, t h e formation of frost is a problem in air drainage. * * * With t h e cooling of t h e air near the ground there is a change in its density: the narmer, lighter air and vapor give place to the colder and
heavier layers. This explains why in valleys and depressed places we have frost, while on the hillsides near by there is often little or none.
OCTOBER, 1898. MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW. 469
* * That frost is essentially a roblem in air drainage, was shown by a survey of the citrus fruit be?t of southern California made i n
March of this year by t h e Los Angeles Times. Plotting the frost streaks and belts with the topography, a close relationship was found to exist. Even on seemingly level tracks the presence and absence of frost streaks can be accounted for by remembering that there are slow cur-
rents in the a p arentlg quiet air. I n a future article, in diecussing the methods of figtting frost, we shall show how the air may be artifi-
cially put in motion and t h e currents made to help in the prevention
of frost.
Tables are given showing the first and last frosts, and
snowfalls a t New Orleans, also the frosts and ice a t St.
James sugar refinery in St. James Parish, about 60 miles
west of New Orleans.
A quotation from the Louisiana Planter, from an unnamed
correspondent, shows, according to Mr. McAdie, that-
As a rule, years of heavy rainfall have not been years of large crops.
The most satisfactory crop comes m-it11 the proper distribution of rain-
fall. The total amount, if well distributed, may even be much below an average rainfall and still the yield may be large. According to this
correspondent, the year 1450 had so much rain throughout the grind- ing season that the cane fields were ruined by t h e carts in hauling the cane ; it was the worst season for delivering a cane crop ever seen by
the oldest planters. * * * Enormous quantities of cane were left in the fields.
The whole of this section report shows a careful attention
to the needs of the planters ancl an earnest study of meteo-
rological conditions, such as has long been a cle.~icZcrcrtu?~~ for
Louisiana.
MARYLAND AND DELAWARE.
RIr. I?. J. Walz gives a complete copy of tlie program of
the Omaha Convention and an appreciative paragraph rela-
tive to the good work done there.
MICHIGAN.
Mr. C. F. Schneider also expresses his satisfaction with the
Omaha Convention. With regard to the cliniate of the nionth,
he states that practically no snow fell until October 26, and
also that killing frosts did not occur until that date. He
notes that the leaves on most of the hard wood trees were
fully matured and dropped off without the help of frost.
It is quite popularly supposed that the brilliant colors of
American forests are doe to a touch of frost, hut, closer study
has long since shown that a frost a t the surface of the ground,
or in the low valleys, is not a frost on the tree tops or the
hill tops, and that the colors of the leaves are as truly due to
the ripening process as are the delicate colors of the apple or
the peach.
MINNESOTA.
Mr. T. S. Outram, section director, gives a generous suni-
mary of the results of experiments in feeding stock, as made
a t the Minnesota Agricultural College.
The Editor has no means of knowing how many of the
section directors receive regularly the reports and bulletins of
the agricultural experiment stations of colleges in their re-
spective States, but would earnestly urge those who do not
receive these to niake application for thein, as they give the
agricultural data needed as the basis for studies into the re-
lation between the climatological and the agricultural inter-
ests. He, himself, has found these bulletins and reports a
great stimulus and help in studying these important clues-
tions.
MISSISSIPPI.
Mr. W. T. Blythe, section director, was one of the officials,
who after making every preparation to attend the Omaha Cnn-
vention was prevented by quarantine regulations. We sym-
pathize with him in his disappointment ; but, fortunately,
the quarantine does not stop the interchange of letters and
printed matter, so that the good work done a t Omaha will
eventually find its way down the river to Vicksburg.
The October report gives an account of a waterspout that
formed about three-quarters of a mile off the Gulf coast,
opposite Bay St. Louis. As it approached the shore i t rose
into the air and moved inland in the form of a whirlwind.
I t s path could be easily followed for a mile or so by the leaves
and sniall branches that i t carried up with it. Its whirling
winds seem to have increased in violence as soon as the water-
spout struck the main land.
MISSOURI.
Rlr. A. E. Hackett, publishes quite an interesting account
of the remarkable hailstoriii of fieptemher 5 in Noclaway
CIJUllty, and shows a11 enterprising spirit in niaking his re-
port doubly iritrrestiiig to his corresl)ondents by including
some photo-gravures, or half-tone plates illustrating the
storm.
MONTANA.
Attention is called by Nr. E. J. Glass to the meteors of
November 13-15. The ni~teors tliat are to he seen 011 almost
any night shooting among the Rtars are now classified as
either sporadic or periodic. Quite a11 appreciable percentage
of the whole belong to the periodic. that is to say, they are
always moving toward or fruni nell-clefined points in the
sky, and are called groups, such as the Leonids which are
always moving from a point in or near the Constellation Leo
or Andromeda. because they are moving from a point in or
Dear the Constellation Andromeda. The meteors belonging
to a group of this kind niay be seen on every night of the
year, but are almost certain to be especially frequent on cer-
tain nights of certain years. Tliiis, the Leonids are nuiner-
011s in the n~iddle of November, and mere observed to be e s p -
cially nunierous 011 November 11-14 of 1S66 ancl 1883 and
1800, and so 011 backward a t iiitlArvals of thirty-three years to
sonie time long brfore thr Christinii rra. It has in fact been
shown that these metrors are a swar11i of small objects rep-
resenting the dBbris of a larger one that inust have appeared
as a comet a t one time, if not even as a planet. The swarm
pursues a regular path around the siiii, which intersects the
path of the earth in such a way that the latter shoots through
the swarm of meteors about Novenilwr 12. But the path of
the stream of meteors is apparently I I ~J ~ nniforinly filled with
thesr sinall bodies, so that many nirtroric showers, due to the
Leonids, are but feehlP displays, while in all cases the bright-
est displays are viily wen over a sn1a11 portion of the earth’s
surface; in the present year, lS98, nothing a t all brilliant was
seen either in America or Europe.
NEBRASKA.
Mr. C. A. Lovelaucl gives a rather full review of tlie crop
season with many details as to the iiifl~nce of freezing and
snow, rain and sunshine, on the progress of the crop plants
during the growing season. On the whole the weather seems
to have been exceptionally favoralJle although since the crops
were gathered i t has been unusually severe.
NEVADA.
Mr. R. F. Young, section director, states that there have
been but five OctolJers in the past nii~~teeii years in which
Carson City and Winneniucca had greater precipitation and
the average for the State is little less than half the usual
aniount. In fact, the precipitation for the winter 1897-9s
was but half the nornial. and, in general, cluring the whole
crop season i t has been deficient.
That as yet water storage is the exception in Nevada, farmers de- pend upon the current supply in niountain streams for irrigation.
These streams w e fell b y the snon which accuiniilates 011 the moun- tains principally in the n~onthb o f Decenilwr, January, ant1 February, hence the precipitation ilurinp these months is of greater importance
than that during any other period of the year.
hlr. Young sags :
470 MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW. OCTOBER, 1898
I
NEW ENQLAND.
Mr. J. W. Smith states that the mean temperature was
considerably above the normal, having been exceeded but
twice in the past ten years. The precipitation was large,
having been exceeded but once in the past ten years. Despite
the copious rains the month was favorable for late farming
operations ; the pastures and meadows are still green and
capable of sustaining etock for some time. Several instances
of garden flowers blossoming freely until tlie end of the month
have been noted. Mount Washington was well covered with
anow on the 16th.
NEW JERSEY.
Mr. E. W. McGann, in a suniinary of the crop conditione,
states that the season on the whole may be considered a
profitable one to all producers of vegetables, grain, and grass,
but unproductive to orchard and fruit interests of the State.
Mr. R. M. Hardinge, recently appointed section director for
New Mexico, gives an excellent selection on hot waves from
an article by the Chief of the Weather Bureau. We have in
our experience seen hot waves pass over New Mexico to Texas
and Louisiana, and then spread over nearly all of the Atlantic
States. Possibly, Mr. Hardiuge may be able to give us some
special observations of such a hot wave if one should appear
next summer. Meanwhile, however, we fear that New Mexico,
like Texas and Louisiana, must have suffered from the cold
wave of the first week of December, 1598.
NEW MEXICO.
NORTH CAROLINA.
Mr. C. F. von Herrmann, in reviewing the crop season,
says that it began very favorably in February and March,
and after an unfavorably cool April and a nornial favorable
May, and a variable June, entered upon a showery period in
July which stimulated the green or grassy condition too
much, and resulted in a deterioration during August and the
fir& part of September. Unfortunate rains fell in the latter
part, of September, but still the end of the season was quite
as satisfactory, as October weather was very favorable. The
remarkable feature of the weather for October was the heavy
rainfall on the eastern slope of the Blue Ridge in the west-
ern portion of the State. The first snow was seen on the
Grandfather Mountains on the 33d and 27th.
As we follow the ups and downs of the relation between
the crops and the weather, one can but be struck with the
infinite complexity of the relation between the climate and
crop and the difficulty of locating the special climatic influ-
ence that may have produced a good or a poor crop in auy
specific year and State.
OHIO.
Mr. J. Warren Smith publishes a very appropriate note on
the difference between hail and sleet, which will help ob-
servers to use the proper term. Hail is a summer phen-
omenon and usually accompanied by thunder and lightning
and temperature above freezing. Sleet is a winter phen-
omenon; i t is made up of small trailsparent drops of ice,
apparently formed by the freezing of raindrops as they fall
through the lower cold air. Hail is generally opaque, be-
cause made up of concentric layers of clear ice and snowy ice.
Besides a number of personal notes, Mr. B. S. Pague ac-
knowledges the receipt, a t his office. of the volume of reports
of the observatory at Hongkong, China, and several pleasant
notices of the activity of the Oregon section. It is pleasant
to see this and the California sections enteriug into intimate
relations with the meteorologists far to the westward. The
general circulation of the atmosphere over the ocean is so
OREGON.
simple and regular that i t may well be true that the phenomena
on the coasts of China and Japan will be found to have some
connection with that a month later on the western coast of
North America.
PENNSYLVANIA.
Mr. T. F. Townsend continues his quotation from Professor
Roddy on weather forecasts and health. It appears that the
weather predictions of the Weather Bureau afford the people
a most reliable guide as to the clothing necessary to protect
against sudden changes. We all desire the greatest personal
coinfort, and we secure this by careful attention to the
efficiency of clothiIig under variable weather conditions. A
large field is open for investigation as to the relation of cloth-
ing to the temperature and the comfort of the body.
SOUTH CAROLINA.
hlr. J. W. Bauer takes pleasure in announcing that here-
after the “ nionthlybulletins” (reports?) of the South Carolina
section will be issued in the standard printed from. His first
number is excellent. In an appreciative article on the value
of the work of the voluntary observers he adds:.
But the observations have an important scientificvalueas well. * * f
In the scientific study of the R eather ancl the climate a long record be- comes invaluable, ancl it is gratifying that the data is now issued in a manner worthy of its importance and convenient for file and future reference.
SOUTH DAKOTA.
Mr. S. W. Glenn, in recounting tlie general climatic condi-
tions of South Dakota, says-
In general the winter precipitation is comparatively slight, so that the central and western portions of the State are well adapted to raising live stock on an extensive scale. During the crop season the average precipitation compares favorably with neighboring States. * * * The researches of the United States Weather Bureau do not indicate that settlement and cultivation of the Roil have tended to increase the average annual precipitation. * * * The successful farmers are men B ho have given their attention to diversified farming. After sixteen years of stud , I think that the principal source of prosperity for the farmers in thisitate will be the conversion of her highly nutritious and abundant native grasses into money through the staple niediums of butter, cheese, and meat.
TENNESSEE.
Mr. H. C. Bate, in reviewing the crop seasoii. say8 that it
opened unfavorably, siiice the early warni, dry v rather favored
premature planting and gc.rminatiuii. Conseywntly the first
week of April, with frosty weather, gave a serious hluw to the
expectatiuns and forced the farmer to plant over again. By the close of April much of the lost ground was regained. May
was unfavorably wet and cool. June brought a severe droiiqht,
notwithstanding which a splendid crop of winter u heat was
harvested. Tlie rest of the season was trollbled mostly by
rain, although the fall crops were generally good.
TEXAS.
Mr. I. M. Cline reports that the weajher during October was
dry and exceptionally favorable for picking cotton, but high
winds blew a great deal out of the bolls.
UTAH.
Mr. J. H. Sinith publishes his usual coiiiplrtr tahles of data
a i d says that the mild weather of the nioiith was favorable
to farming interests. Tlie Utah section still iisw the niilleo-
graph process, but we believe that arraiigemriits will be iiiadr
by which this nnd all other section reports will be printed
from type on the regular quarto page.
VIRGINIA.
Mr. E. A. Evans states that the moiith presented exception-
ally favorable conditions for the growth and qermination of
crops sown in the fall, but was too rainy to allow additional
sowiug or planting. M r Evans’s map of the rainfall is de-
OCTOBER, 1898. MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW. 471
serving of coinnieiidatioii as having been engraved with escel-
lent taste and printed in colors that are quite harnionious to
the eye. His heavy black lines are especially impressive.
WASHINGTON.
Mr. G. E. Salisbury gives an extract from the work of
Reverend Benito Vifies on the Laws of the N'est Indian Hur-
ricanes, especially that part expressing his conclusion that
the hurricanes are transported by the general upper ciirren t.
It does uot a t first thought occur to one that a paper 011 the
West Indian hurricanes would he especially interesting to the
voluntary ohserrers in M'ashington, bnt upou second thongh t
one will see that t h e i~iil)ortance of the u p p e r currents is thus
earliest circulars to the 811iithsonia11 obseri7~rs of fifty years
ago. Climatological work hegan a t an early date i n this
cuiiritry, but the cluud observations for meteorological work
nere first called for when Espy, Redfield, and Lovniis began
their determined attack upoii the proldeni of storm develop-
melit and storm movement.
JVIhc'@NSIN.
Mr. W. AI. Wilson. instead of trubtinq himself to coninient
on the Weatlier Bureau Couvrution a t Omaha, has judiciously
piil~lishrcl solile very interwtiuq reiiiarks I)y hIr. E. B. Cnlvert:
I t nns the firbt meetin:: (J f t l i i h kinnl, representing the service RS a a h ~l e . * * * Enthusi:isni reigned ~p r e i n e . * + * Each seemed
))rought to their attellti;n, anc1 i t is grejtly to he liopr(1 tll;it to realize t11:3t liis\tiuik nnsin common nit11 that (Jf liis I'fJll?+yleS; that
tilese n:: toward one UVect, the iJerft.ctiun of the utilitarian value
tioii to the exact direction of motion of the highest cirrus
clouds. This is not required as ;ti1 item of regrilnr cliniato-
lugicnl observation I)y the \Veather Burrau. hut those iuterl AIr. \V. S. Paliiirr presents us, for the first tiiiie, with the
ested in meteorology will fully appreciate its importance. M'y~ming repnrt i n priut. N'yoiniiig has I I (I I \ allout thirty
Every regular station of the \V'eather Burenn records tiiis voluntary observers, and the nunihrr \t i l l doiiljtlrss rapidly
dittiiiri as an important item in dynamic meteorology. arid its incrrase' i i ~w that each rrceives thebe M ell printed nionthlp
importarice was especially dwelt upon by Espy in his very q o r t s .
all ,,tiler voluntary oi,servers lvjll pay careful attrn- I all were
w Y o n r I x(;.
METEOROLOGICAL TABLES AND CHARTS.
By A. J HENRT. Chief of Divislon of Records and Metevrolorical Data.
For text descriptive of tables aiicl charts eee page 366 of REVIEW for August, 189s.
REV-5