Los Angeles daily herald., 1873-10-02

umn of heated air rises from the lower
levels bearing the vapOrs which have
been disengaged Just AZ we saw 1t eX-
emplified in the great fire at ChicagO),
and the cooler air around presses to
the centre. There we could see the
great column of heated air extending
far above the city, bearing along
with it the sparks and light, and blaz-
ing PARTICLES. AS the fire advanced, the
city became one great furnace, and as
the heated air extended there was at
once rushing into the furnace of the
air from every direction. This showed
Us, on a small scale, what is, at all
times, going on in the interior of con-
tinents. We learn from an exploring
expedition that the heat in the Colora-
do Desert was l200 in the shade. Hence
there is there current of air constant
ly going upward, and a corresponding
movement of the surrounding atmOs-
phere to that point.
The question now arises: Can no
limit be- proposed to state OF things
like this? You will have observed the
moisture arising in the form of fOgs or
clouds fromlthe sea. Sometimes, you
will see hpavily-laden black or dark
clouds, and yet no rains fall. Why
is this: The clouds are carried away
by the current of heated air, which
rises from the Colorado Desert. Now,
what can be done to overcome this
cause, and increase the raintalls in this
country? The remedies, to which |
would refer you, are two: One Is, to
cover these mountains with trees
| planting thereon the pepper and other
| trees that will stand the drOuth. On
| the sides and lower levels the olive will
grow, and, lower still, the vine will be
raised successfully. Each tree is an
electric conductor to bring down the
rain and distribute ii over the lands.
This is one method, and second is, to
cut an artificial canal through the belt
of sand and alluvial deposit which sep
arates the basin of the Colorado from
| the Gulf. The desert or basin Is from
l27 to 275 feet below the sea, and through
this canal the water would rush in, lfill-
ing this depression for distance Of
one hundred and thirty miles, making
a great inland sea Of some 1000 square
miles. This water will yield al evapO-
ration of Is feet, sufficient to water a
| State the size of California with "a
inches of water every year. 1t will fur
| ther cool the atmosphere and increase
| the rainfall to the full amount required
| for the successful production Of cereals.
| Thisis no new or novel superstition. Ii
has been successfully tried before.
When the Suez canal was made the en-
gineers found two large, dry depres-
sions, called the Bitter Lakes. These
were found to he several feet below the
level of the Red Sea. They were filled
upwith the waters of the Red Sea, and
now, instead of the depressiOns, there
are two large lakes where before there
was only sand. These lakes are now sur
rounded with grass and vegetation of
different kinds. This change has altered
the climate of Egypt, and cooled the
atmosphere for leagues around. You
can see the benefit of these lakes, by
the banks of clouds constantly rising
up from them into the air, and de-
scending again in the form OF moisture
and dew i'm the evening. These lakes
have produced rains in Egypt, a phe-
nOmena unknown in that country be-
fore their formation, rs far back as We
have any accounts. 1t rained three
times while was in Cairo, and there
have been frequent rains since that
time, as have since learned. There
can be no doubt, then, as to the result
of a similar application, in this ease.
We will proceed now to look to the
irrigation from the cistern, to which |
referred. The next thing, after you
have raised the water up, is, to put it
into your cistern; and you place your
cistern high up, SO it can give sufficient
fall. The Divine IrrigatOr does So.
He piles His water on the mountains
in the shape Of SHOW, and there ii lies
In safety till the summer winds return.
1t il then caused to trickle down, when
it is needed for the lands below. BE-
sides, there is another method of OBJ
tanning water by the banking up OF r,s-
vines, at different elevations, to hold u
great quantity of water. OF this class
is lake Tahoe and other bodies of water
i'm California. The difference in the
quantity Of rain, which falls ut differ
ent elevations, is worthy of notice. II
has been ascertained that the rainfall
on the SUBMITS OF the Nevadas is 76
inches, whereas, down here, 1t is but
II inches. There is thus five times rs
much water on the mountains as there
is upon the plains. You may, there
fore, ecOnonize in the place for your
reservoirs. as they will obtain more
abundant supply Of water higher up
the mountains, and hence they will en-
able you to irrigate so much more land.
While the plains have good lands, the
mountains are by no means to be des-
pissed. Thus, for instance, in China for
centuries, and now in Lebanon, the
mountains are being planted with null
berry around their sides. The noun
tain Of Lebanon Is now producing, by
means of irrigation, the most valuable
commodity in the world for the pur-
poses of cOmmerce-silk. Our reser-
voirs, then, should be appropriately
planted at the most elevated places pos
sible; but We must make them 80 that
they will not be swept away by the
floods of winter.
| ANCIENT SYSTEM OF IRRIGATION.
The ancient reservoirs of Solomon
are constructed of solid stone, built at
proper angles, cemented together, as
perfect in all their parts as when Solo
mon left them. The aqueduct, which
conducted the water to the city of Je-
rus,.lem, also built of solid stone, like
wise remains. The dame of the great
reservoir in Spain is l52 feet high, 2@,l
feet broad ut the base, and 10 feet at the
top. | mention this as an instance OF
the solidity Of the structures which
some Of the wisest men OF the world
thought it necessary to erect, for the
purpose of irrigating the fields of their
native lands.
A third great necessity for a system
Of irrigation is, by proper cOnduits for
cOnvey ying the water and distributing
it over the fields, and for conveying