to organize such a division, to formulate proposals and submit them to the Council. 6. The continued publication of summaries of meteorology and cli matology in the BULLETIN was approved. 7. The continued provision of binders was approved. The Council adjourned at 2.25 p. m. CHARLES F. BROOKS, Secretary. Treasurer's Quarterly Report February 1 to April 30, 1925 Receipts Dues $240 00 extra copies Contributions in excess of dues.. Interest on investments and Savings Account. 101 80 BULLETIN-subscriptions, advertisements, binders and sale of 118 50 11 60 12 00 Monthly Weather Review subscriptions.... 7 50 Contributions to Meisinger Aerological Research Fund.. 38 00 $529 40 Disbursements Printing of BULLETIN, January, February and March issues.. $257 00 As most of the papers presented at the meeting will be published in the Monthly Weather Review, attention here will be confined mostly to those not to appear there. Mr. V. E. Jakl's paper, "A review of the Meisinger free balloon flights," was an excerpt from his full report to appear in the Mo. Weather Rev. Mr. Jakl showed that the course of Meisinger's balloon on some long flights was very closely in conformity with the isobars computed for the heights at which the balloon was maintained. On the long flight to South Carolina, through a marked high pressure area a considerable rise in temperature was noted due evidently to adiabatic heating as the air descended in the high. Lieut. F. W. Reichelderfer's paper, "The present meterological needs of areonautics," will probably appear soon in the Mo. Weather Rev. The speaker indicated clearly the need for great localization and amplification of weather forecasts for the best interests of aviation. Dr. W. J. Humphreys' paper, "Isothermal surfaces in the ocean," will appear in the Mo. Weather Rev. The tendency for surface waters to flow away from the equatorial regions and to pile up in horse latitudes was clearly explained as the result of both the lower density of the less saline waters near the equator and the dynamic action of the wind. Mr. J. B. Kincer's "Protecting orchards from frost," will be presented at some length in a later issue of the BULLETIN. Mr. E. W. Woolard's discussion, "On the mean variability in random series," was an original and interesting demonstration of how to get some idea of the degree of connection from value to value in a consecutive series of meteorological data. The accuracy of Mr. Woolard's formula was demonstrated by the results of drawing 2000 numbered beans from a bowl. This paper will appear in the Mo. Weather Rev. Mr. E. B. Calvert's paper on "Weather forecasting as an aid in preventing and controlling forest fires," is also to appear in the Review. The development of this valuable service not only in the West, where it was inaugurated a few years ago, but now also in parts of the East, especially New England, was commended in the discussion following the paper. The Bureau has the active co-operation of lumbering companies and the state and national forest officials. The need for such work was clearly demonstrated in early April this year in the northeastern States, before arrangements had been perfected in this region. An abstract of Mr. J. H. Armington's paper, "What is Smog, and what meteorological conditions favor its development," will be published in the BULLETIN later. The abstracts and a summary of the discussion of the papers in the symposium on "Solar radiation and the weather" will be published in the next BULLETIN. The papers are appearing in full in publications of the Smithsonian Institution, (Abbot and Clayton) or the Monthly Weather Review. (Marvin, Kimball, and Clough). Dr. C. C. Clark's paper on "The use of motion pictures in illustrating meteorological problems" will be published in the next BULLETIN. Mr. R. H. Weightman's paper, "Some remarks concerning the occurrence of precipitation in connection with the disturbance of February 22-23, 1925," will appear in the Mo. Weather Rev. In this paper, precipitation processes were first enumerated, then the three types of precipitation, warm and cold front rains and instability showers were shown and related to the low centers for every four hours during the period under consideration. The weather maps at four-hour intervals showed, as 12hour maps could not, the successive formation of several secondaries, each ultimately replacing the earlier dominant low. Two inter-related papers followed: "Meteorological and other observations during the total solar eclipse of January 24, 1925, at Middletown, Conn.," by Prof. W. I. Milham, and "Meteorology of the solar eclipse of January 24, 1925," by Mr. S. P. Fergusson. Abstracts of these papers together with other eclipse observations will probably be published in a later BULLETIN. In "Meteorology and superpower in the Ohio Valley," by Mr. W. C. Devereaux, superpower was defined as the great power supplied to Man by Nature through the agencies of natural gas, water, and coal. The development of all three in the Ohio Valley was discussed with especial reference to waterpower and to the necessity for accurate forecasts of rainfall and runoff in its development. "The influence of land and water temperatures on the prevailing southeasterly wind of Texas," by Mr. I. R. Tannehill is to be published in the Mo. Weather Rev. In this interesting discussion the speaker pointed out that these winds are not monsoonal, but are a part of the general circulation, at times accelerated, at times retarded by local conditions. The distribution of temperature as regards land and water differs from day to night and from season to season and directly affects the velocity of these winds. "Tornadoes in Alabama," by Mr. W. R. Stevens will probably appear in the Mo. Weather Rev. In the period 1794-1925 more than 283 tornadoes have occurred in Alabama. The average yearly frequency 188286 was 1.6, from 1871-1924, 4.5. This increase is probably due to the increased number of observers and increased facilities for reporting them. An abstract of the paper "Long-period recording instruments," by Mr. S. P. Fergusson will appear in a later BULLETIN. In his paper "Destructive windstorms in Indiana, 1896-1925," Mr. J. H. Armington divided such storms into two classes, tornadoes, and straight line blows, and pointed out that, in the period under consideration, 27 such storms, of which 23 were tornadoes, each causing damage of $50,000 or more, occurred. At the close of the program of papers the following resolutions were read by Mr. Devereaux for the Committee on Resolutions and were unanimously carried: (1) WHEREAS, the Meeting of the American Meteorological Society has been shown every courtesy and rendered every assistance in the way of accommodations in instrumental apparatus by the Weather Bureau. RESOLVED, that the Society expresses its most sincere appreciation of the arrangements and the cordial welcome extended to it by the Chief of the Bureau. (2) WHEREAS, the symposium on Solar Radiation and Weather at this meeting was one of the most interesting and instructive features on the program. RESOLVED, that the Society is interested in holding a similar symposium at future meetings on the major subjects of interest to meteorologists. (3) WHEREAS, the Society has had the pleasure of observing for the first time two very interesting and valuable films on atmosphere. RESOLVED, that the Society extend an expression of thanks to Mr. Fred W. Perkins, in charge of the film exhibit of the Department of Agriculture, and resolved further, that the Secretary of this Society transmit copies of these resolutions to Mr. Perkins through the Hon. Secretary of Agriculture. (4) RESOLVED, that this Society reaffirms the resolutions adopted at a previous meeting which reads as follows: "the Society is interested in the adaptation of the weather forecasts to the needs of specific industries, such as sugar growing, citrus raising, harvesting crops and protection of crops by spraying and would encourage the extension of this class of forecasts to all industries and activities which are dependent on weather changes." This meeting wishes to add to the above specified industries the extensions needed to serve aviation better, the fire weather forecasts and weather service for the development and utilization of the superpower electrical developments. Committee on Resolutions, W. C. DEVEREAUX, As there was no further business the meeting was then adjourned. THE USE OF MOTION PICTURES IN ILLUSTRATING By C. C. CLARK, Asst. Chief Weather Bureau "Diffusing useful information," which may be said to include the information which the Weather Bureau prepares and distributes, is the great object of the Department of Agriculture and the Weather Bureau. In fact, that is what the Department of Agriculture was organized for in 1889, when its organic act was established, providing that "There shall be at the seat of Government a Department of Agriculture, the general design and duties of which shall be to acquire and to diffuse among the people of the United States useful information on subjects connected with agriculture, in the most general and comprehensive sense of that word." Similarly, this is one of the main purposes of the Weather Bureau, which was attached to the Department of Agriculture, we all know, in 1891, by an Act which particularly charged this Bureau with "charge of the forecasting of weather, the issue of storm warnings, the display of weather and flood signals for the benefit of agriculture, commerce, and navigation, etc." The Department of Agriculture, with full realization of the changes taking place in the progress and evolution of our Government and civilization, appreciated some ten years ago that a recent and most effective method of transmitting information was through the agency of motion pictures, and so they organized in our Department an Office of Motion Pictures, under the Extension Service, and have prepared and put out to the general public over 200 films explaining, describing and carrying the problems of all the bureaus of this great Department to the public. The Department of Agriculture makes three general types of films, the first type and probably the simplest, is the "Straight Educational Film," in which facts are recited in as interesting a manner as possible, but without any attempt to give a human interest story. The second type is the "Slender Story Type," in which facts are linked together by a story of someone's experiences. The third is the "Dramatic or Heavier Story Type." The films of the Weather Bureau now completed are of the "Straight Educational Film" type, but other films are in prospect which will be of the "Slender Story Type," showing general methods of work of the Weather Bureau. Among these future films will be some entitled, "Back of the Weather Forecast," "Clouds," "Fruit Frost Work of the Weather Bureau," "Fruit-Spray and Harvest- For several years we have had in contemplation the preparation of suitable films by the Department of Agriculture agencies for illustrating and furthering the work of the Weather Bureau and the science of meteorology. Two such films have been completed and will be shown in a few minutes by the Department director. The Department of Agriculture is now probably the largest producer and distributor of educational films in the world. It is doing more work of that sort than any other organization in this country, and probably more than any Government organization in any other country. The work done here has attracted attention in foreign countries to such an etxent that representatives from other governments have been sent to study it, and, also, foreign Governments have purchased prints of a number of films. The use of pictures in the Department of Agriculture has developed and broadened a great deal during the past decade, and films are now regarded as a Department unit in educational work. Perhaps one-half of the County Agents are equipped with projection machines or have use of them. In addition, there are thousands of projection machines in schools, colleges, churches, etc. The object of the pictures in general is to acquaint the public, or perhaps certain groups of the public, with scientific facts which have been developed by the Department of Agriculture, and to acquaint the public with the methods of significance in the Department of Agriculture work. As to the comparative effectiveness of various methods, whether it is better to show lantern slides, films, exhibits or bulletins, there is much difference of opinion, but there is no doubt but that films are a most effective method. Films of course have certain limitations which must be borne in mind, and other methods should be adopted to meet those limitations. The use of the Weather Bureau pictures will be primarily to acquaint the general public, or certain groups of the public, with the methods that are used and the results that are obtained, and they will be given general ideas of that sort to create more confidence in the work and to give the public a better idea as to how to use the results. In general, the films will probably have as their first aim the showing to the public what we contemplate in all our work, by demonstrating the thoroughness and care that goes into it, to give the public an idea that it is as authoritative as modern science can make it. The field for the Weather Bureau pictures will be largely in schools and colleges. The Weather Bureau men themselves, and meteorologists in general, will perhaps find them of considerable use in connection with their own lectures before all kinds of organizations. The Office of Motion Pictures will be glad to tell them how to get hold of projection machines, and give any assistance possible. Further announcements will be made by this Bureau, giving desired and detailed information as to the distribution and use of these and later films. |