GILBERT WEATHER BUREAU (METEOROLOGY) FOR BOYS BY ALFRED C. GILBERT Yale University, 1909 Published by THE A. C. GILBERT COMPANY NEW HAVEN, CONN. New York Chicago San Francisco Toronto London Copyright, 1920, by A. C. GILBERT New Haven, Conn. WEATHER INDICATIONS A Study of the Weather In the minds of most people a very silly notion prevails about the weather and the weather man. They have a general impression that the weather knows no laws—that it is lawless and reckless, fickle and changeable; that the weather man is a sort of conjurer, and by some mysterious gift he is able to prophesy things that most people know nothing about. Nothing could be further from the truth. After you have carried out the simple experiments described, and have read this text, whether you have a scientific trend of mind or not, you will at least learn that the weather is a science, like electricity, chemistry, or medicine; that its laws are uniform, constant, and unchanging, and there is really nothing mysterious about it. The weather man is a scientist and by means of instruments, which indicate certain things, he comes to definite conclusions. He is not a prophet; he does not prophesy; he forecasts. If you are interested in having a Weather Bureau station of your own, you will find it one of the most interesting things you ever acquired in your life. You will soon gain a knowledge of a subject that most people are quite ignorant of, and if you desire to stand for leadership among your boy friends, it may be achieved by knowing about those things that to most boys, and in fact to adults, assume a mysterious and magical aspect. A Weather Bureau station at your home will give you a source of pleasure, fun, and insight into a science that is intensely interesting, easy to understand, fascinating and worth while knowing. The importance of the subject cannot be overestimated. It has an influence on the whole world; it affects our health; it affects our comfort; it means success or failure in farming; it has an immense influence upon transportation. When ready to move perishable goods, the transporter must have indications of what the weather is going to be.