New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1858-08-09
BRXAR CouNrY, JulY "a, Is5s.


81 Tgaa5eT-FtId Qf Rain compared Nth other
toealities, etc., &c,
BRxtR County,, July "A, 1858
Eds. Crescent To Che agrieulturist there is prob,
ably no feature of the climatoogy of country more
interesting than that Of rain. Next to quality of soil
1t is the most important consideration with all intel
ligent and rejecting farmers. deficiency in this
particular is certainly very injurious to new coun
Try II greatly retards its progress, by preventing
the infowing of intelligent agriculturists. One OF
two seasons of failure in crops from this cause is su
Gent to destroy its reputation as an agricultural coun
try Those who suffer in consequence of such failure
are TOO often inclined to exaggeate their LOSSES and
to speak disparagingly of the country Overlooking
entirely the many losses which they have seen expe
rienced in other sections in consequence of too little
or too much ran or of FROST rust, weavel, etc. they
continue their TRADE against the land in which they
reside until the ensuing crop, by its magnitude and
value oblterates the losses of the past In this way
an army OF croakers arise whose object seems to be
to eXaggerate every existing evil and by the time
that their croakngs reach the Of the citizens of
adjoining States they presena falsed picture which
is truly appalling. Such has been the unfortunate
experience of Texas during the past two years. In
1876 there was partial failure Of the crops for want
same cause, was nearly total The losses thus occa-
stoned gave rise to the state of things above described
and, in consequence, the general impression now
abroad is that Western Texas is dry, sterile region,
and totally unfit for agricultural pursuits. To dis
prove this it is only necessary to look over the agr
cultural statistics of Western Texas since its oecu
pancy by Americans and Germans, The yields of
cotton corn, wheat, oats potatoes etc, up to the
year 1856 equal not surpass in quantity and quail
ty those of any other State States of the conted
eracy, The drouth of l856-'57 was an exception,
and was no more than other portions of the Union
have been repeatedly afflicted with. do not intend
by this to convey the idea that Western Texas is as
well supplied with rain as other sections east of it.
But do wish to impress the reader with the fact,
that, notwithstanding comparative deficiency Of
rain the industrious agriculturst can produce a
given extent of land as large crops as can be pro-
duced on the same extent in States which suppl
ed with nearly double the quantity of rain.
! This more imagined than real want of rain is, in
my opinion, bugbear. To it is attributed the dry.
ness of the atmosphere aud the snted growth of the
| trees. That it may have an influence in producing
these effects, believes but that it is the prime and
great cause I have reason to disbeeye. According
to the hyetal, or rain chart, made up from the OBJ
seryatcns of the United States army surgeons during
twelve years ending 1864 the average annual fall of
rain in this county was thirtyfye inches. In Iowa.
and at Pittsburgh and Carlisle, Pennsylvania, it was
the same. In the States Of Wisconsin and Michigan
the fall was only thirty inches Now, it is well
known that in those sections the atmosphere is very
humid, and that the growth of timber is tall and
dense. Can We satisfactorily explain this difference
if we hold to the theory that the want of rain is the
cause Of our dry atmosphere and stunted growth of
timber Certainly not, We must look for other
theories. The best which are presented to my mind
are:
LIST. That the humidity ofatmosphercs is in proper
ton to the quantity of surface water afforded by
lakes, ponds, swamps, and deep porous and 81 ongy
soil. This condition of things may exstin coantry
where there is but little rain 1t is the result Of pc
cnliar geological formations.
I'd. The tall and dense growth of trees depends on
the strength and depth of the soil, By the word
strength do not richness but the capacity for
holding tall bodies erect The soils in the forests of
the North of that description. They are usually
clayey in their diameter but are 50 mixed with
mold, sand grisei etc, that they are seldom com
pact Through such soils water percolates to great
depths, and no matter whether there be drouth or
not, they continually moist in consequence Of the
water rising from below to supply the loss occasoned
by evaporation at the surface, In such soils forest
trees grow luxurianty. There is nothing to prevent
their roots from running down far below the drying
Influence of the sun, where in dry weather they can
suck up a plentiful supply of water.
In this section there are no lakes ponds or swamps.
I'D the productive surface soil, which is composed
Of and mold, is only from one to three
feet in Thickness and does not average two feet
This soil rests clay foundation, which is partly
consolidated by carbonate of lime. In some places
limestone is the basis, and in others chalky fOrma
ton. This basis extends over large portion of West
Texas 1t is impergious to the water which falls
from the clouds, and keeps the water which flows
under it from rising to the surface and forming lakes,
ponds and swamps. Wherever there are faults in it
the water gushes FORTH but the faults are few consC
quently the only supply of water afforded for evapo
ration Is in the running streams and surface soil Of
loan and mold. The former are so small and swift
running that the evaporation never extends beyond
their banks and he latter is so thin that few days
Of h0t dry weather is sufficient to evaporate all the
moisture which may be received from the most cop
GUS fall ofrain. This moisture being dssipated there
Is nothing left on the surface to afford evaporation
hence the dryness of the atmosphere is oceasOned by
the peculiar geological formation, and not by the
scarcity of rain.
Much what have said above in relation to the
cause OF dry atmosphere applies to the stunted
growth of timber soil which averages two feet in
thickness cannot be expected to sustain forests Of tall
trees. This. as / have said before, is the average
thickness Of the productive soil Of this section The
basis on which this rests affords no moisture and is
too compact and hard for the roots to penetrate.
Under such circumstances it is impossible to produce
any other than stnnted growth no matter how
much rain might be afforded the cause wenld still
exist, and the effect would be the same. Thus it is
evident that the sunted growth Of timber as well as
the raried atmosphere is the result Of the geological
formation, and not Of the want of rain.
That there are often periods when rain is much
needed here, and when supply would be productive
Of much good, will admit. Such, too, is the case
with other sections; and tits well known that the
Rant ofran during crop growing seasons is the gen.
eral complaint from Maine 10 Louisiana. Yet, not.
withstandng this, the crops which are SO often be-
lieved to be ruined turn out we'll thereby proving
as general thing the fusity Of ninety nine predic-
tons of failure out Of the hundred BY reference to
the Army Meteorological Register it will be seen that
the annual fall of rain throughout large portion of
Western Texas is greater than that of Wisconsin aud
Michigan, which rank among the best agricultural
States in the Union. The distribution during the
growing seasons is, however, more important to the
farmer than the rnnntiFp eft MS soc fbpn hotr tl,