Juniata sentinel. [volume] (Mifflintown, Pa.) 1846-1873, 1871-02-01

HARPKR's WEEKLY, in recent inter-
esting article descriptive Of the country
traver.ed by the. route of the Northern
Racifc Railroad. gives the following rra-
sonatle explanation NofSthe remarkable
mildness of climate and fertility Of soil
which characterizes the'vast region which
has come to be known as the New North
west That journal says ir.e. 50
The fact of the mildne.s of the climate
which prevails along the belt Of country
tributary to the line of the Northern
Pacific Rrilroad, is abundantly establish
ed. Nowhere between Lake Superior
aud Puget Sound is the climate, colder
than in Minnesota and this great State
is not surpassed as a wheat-prodncing
region, or III healthfulness Of atmosphere.
Dakota is very similar TO Minnesota
and from Dakota westward the climate
steadily modjfes, until, in Oregon and
Washington Territory, there. is almost
no winter at all aside from rainy sea
son, as in California Throughout Da,
kota, Montana, and Northern Idaho cat
tie and horses range out all winter, and
in the spring are fat and strong. Re
cords kept by government officers at the
various military stations ON the upper
water. of the Missouri show that the
average annual temperature for series
of years has been warmer in Central
Montana than At Chicago or Albany
This remarkable modification of climate,
the existence of which no well-informed
person now questions, is due to several
natural causes. chief among which are
these: First, the country lying between
the 44th and 50th parallels is lower by
some 5000 feet than the belt lying i'm
mediately south The highest point on
the line Of the Northern Pacific Road is
$500 feet lower than The corresp pom ding
submit of the Union and Central line.--
Both the Rocky and the Cascade ranges,
where they are crossed by the Northern
Pacific route, are. broken down to low
elevations compared with their height
400 miles southwark. This difference in
latitude would account for much of the
difference in climate, as four degrees of
temperature are usually allowed for each
1000 feet of elevation. But, second. the
warm winds from the South Pacific.
which prevail in winter, and {aided by
ths warm ocean currents corresponding to
our Atlantic Gulf Stream). produce the
genial climate of our Pacific coast, pass
over the low mountain ridges to the
north of latitude 44o. and carry their
softening effect far inland. giving to East.
ern Washington the climate of Virginia.
and to Montana the climate of Ohio,
without its dampness and chill .'a-
The same cause.-The depression of the
mountain ranges toward the north-ac-
counts for the abundant rain fall in near
ly all parts of this vast area The south
west winds, situated by the evaporation
of the tropics. carry the rain-clouds east.
ward over ihe continental divide, and
distribute their moisture over the fertile
belt stretching from the mountains to
the lakes. Further south the mountains,
with their greater latitude, act as wall
against the warm. norht, west winds !;
hence the colder winter, and the aridity
of portions of the regions south of Mon
tana and east of the mountains, That
the climate of that new Northwest which
is now to be open to settlement, travel,
and trade is such as to make it a congen-
ial home for the the migrating millions of
Central and Nothern Europe. and the
crowded portions of our own land, there
is no doubt