The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1845-07-05
leaned out Of the perpendicular by any
wini which may ayist af that fine

wind which may exist at that time.
"The summer rains al present are To-
cal, and of very limited extent; and
though they travel towards the east, like
the winter storms, they are not exten-
sive enoughto cover the whole country;
hence, portions of the country are La
Bile TO be parched with drouth and hot
weather.
"May it not be possible that this ir.
regularity is in part produced by the
irregular burning of fallows and prair-
les, thus. producing partial and irregular
rains; lnterrupting the wide extended
and general rains which would other
wise take place, as they do in winter?
"There is at present, and will be for
many years TO come, vast amount OF
timber cut down and burnt every sum-
mer, in the western parts Of the United
States-enough. perhaps, to produce
the wide-extended and uninterrupted
rains so much desired without any ex-
pense. Until the government of the
United States can be induced to carry
into effect the above plan, ! earnestly
recommend to all persons who have
fallows or other large masses of COM
bustibles to burn, to save them till the
first very dry spell in the summer, and,
to insure simultaneous action, let all
west of west longitude 81 degrees set
fire to their materials on y on Thurs
day those west of go degrees in the
morning at Ten O'Clock, and those east
Of 90degrees at six o'clock in the even
ing; and let all east of 81 degrees set
fire TO their materials only on Friday
those west of II degrees at ten in the
morning, and those east of II degrees
at six o'clock in the afternoon; and in
no case let any fallows be burnt unless
there has at least IA week elapsed with
out rain.
81 hope these requests will be com
piled with, not only because all are in
terested in the probable result, but be-
cause it will be attended with no ex-
pense, and the best time of burning is
in very cry weather.
at is not at all probable that all will
be ready to burn on the first dry spell,
or even on the second orthird, and thus
on every Thursday and Friday during
the season on which there may be a
drouth, materials enough may be burnt
to produce general rain.
sFor some time after these general
rains, partial rains cannot take place,
both because of the scarcity Of vapor
left in the air, and because any upmov-
ing columns of air which may he for
med will not rise very high before they
enter into the stratum containing much
Of the calorIc of elasticy given out by
the condensed vapor of the previous
rain, in which the up-moving columns
cannot swim; and it is only after the
lower air becomes charged with vapor,
and the upper air becomes cooled by
radiation, that another general rain can
be produced; and it is not probable that
either of these can be effected in less
than about seven days.
81 hope that all editors of newspa.
pers throughout the United States, s,who
think there is the least plausibility in
the plan here proposed,wil publish this
letter, or at least enough of it to let all
who have materials to burn know how
to act in concert.
"FinalIy, desire all who burn their
materials, to watch the phenomena,an
send description Of the whole to the
Surgeon Generals Office Washington.
"a mass of information will thus be
accumulated, which will lead to modi-
fcations in the plan for future opera.
tons. "JAMES p. ESP4.
an. Dobrezhofier, in his account Of
the Abiphnnes OF Paraguay, vol. 3.page
$50 says: Il myself have seen clouds
and lightning produced from the smoke
over the tall grass and bulIrushes on
fire, as it is flying off like whIrwind;
so that the Indians are not to blame for
setting fire to the plains in order 10 pro-
duce rain, they having learned that the
thicker smoke turns into clouds which
pour forth water"
January |, I845.