The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1869-07-15
VOLUME 40.
CAUSES OF RAINLEss REGIONS.
Fort LARAMIE, Wyoming Territory, !

JUNE "A. 1869
! To the ig1ic41tNrm Editor IF Repub1iran yonr-
nal:
DEAR SIR: In these far-of wilds, the weekly
face of my old acquaintance-thc Belfast Journal
though it be two weeks old, is thrice welcome And
as return and not perhaps devoid of interest
to your readers, send brief description of this
gion, and its novel mode of agriculture.
For hundreds of miles around this military post.
il is waste dreary desert; being one Of the several
places ON the globe where rain seldom falls,
moisture Of any kind gathers. And to most your
readers il may be interesting to know the cause Of
th, fact.
Several causes probably csnspire TO withhold rain
from this and from all ranes> places, of which in
this case the chief are these two: l. The general
law that the rainfall diminiShes as the distance in
creases from large bodies of water-because these
are the source of all the yapor> or moisture in the
air; and those vapors, as they pass along the
land giving up thin moisture in the form of rain,
nearly vanish before they re:ct so far inland as this
region which is some 1000 miles from the Pacific,
and 1000 from the Atlantic ocean,iust railroad
train starting full of people at the sea-board cities,
and dropping at the various places becomes nearly
on1rts reaching far inland. ret the faci that Oh
the western slope Of the Rocky Mountains there are
quite copous rains and none on the eastern slope,
! which latter embraces this region, requires
another reason, which, 50 far as can be determined
i, ths Ii is well established fact that in both
the temperate zones there is, high in the amos-
phere, continuous current Of air or wind from the
west tand northwest. And then winds coming
from the Pacific ocean loaded with moisture are ar
rested by the Rocky Mountains which run for hum
dreds of miles north and south at right angles with
the wind Those mountains rising into the region
OF perpetual snow condense the moisture in the
winds into rains which descend upon and fertilize
the western slope, while MOI drop falls uron the
eastern side.
sometimes We have here a severe snow storm III
January and February, and occasionally thunder
storm during the summer months; but these arc
exceptional eases, caused probably either by local
connections in the Amos sphere, BY some of the
detached mountain peaks and spurs which rise high
in this immediate vicinity.
Hence there is, and can be, no vegetable growth
i'll such places except by natural irrigation from the
streams, or by artificial means from them. And
description of the way water and make prodllc
tive post garden may be interesting to your ag-
ricutural readers.
A tributary of the Laramie. q small but swift
stream, runs through the garden and this though
below the land level, little science and art have
compelled not only to furnish the water for irriga
ting but to hoist itself up when needed. 4 wafer
wheel some seven feet In diameter, fastened TO q
strong framework, and place., vertically, is SET ill.,
and reyolyes by the current OF the stream. The
wheel is arranged with paddles, like those of steam
boat having leather buckets attached TO the extren-
tiles Of the paddles. The buckets fill themselves at
the bottom Of the wheel, and, as they come to the
top, empty themselves into conductors which lead
the water in small but continuoug stream 10 ill
parts of the garden. Thus this simple contrivance
made with but little labor and expense, supplies
constant stream Of water, night and day, giving to
vegetation the much needed moisture, and perform
ing without any timing labor which the whole force
of this garrs0n--4ome 800 mon could not do.
Yours Respectfully,