Richland beacon., 1877-02-10
RAYVILLE, La, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10. 1871.

| In summer the suns rays and the hea,
radiated from the arid earth tend to expand
the vapor in the atmosphere and prevent lis
! condensation and fall in the form of rain until
some cause intcrvenes to lDwer the tempcra.
iure. On low and rather barrcL soils, like
those of southern New J-r>y, rainbearing
clouds often daily pass the meridian, hover
over the drouth afflicted fields, aud then dis
appear without drop of ram. La fact every
one is impressed with the thought that il tries
/ To rain and cannot-that the parchiny earth
calls the moisture from the heavens, but has
not the power to command i,s fail. The soil
ia those regions has been robbed of lis trees
10 great extent 20 support glass manufac:o-
ries' which formerly migrated from place TO
! place after eXiiausrng the forests in fuel.
Kan clouds are attracted 10 certain localities
more than 10 others. and natures conductors
are "the points of the leaves of all vegetation,
especially trees
Forests not only serve conductors of at
mospherlc vapors, but through the ranIfica-
lions Of their roots and their layers of fallen
leaves they hoid aud abs, rib hravy rains and
prevent heavy inuudaiinns. besides breaking
the force of destructive winds and cgualizing
the temperature. No regions are arid as
those denuded Of trees. The famous land of
canaan. which the Bible cites IA the most fer
tile IN the wnrli-a Land flowing with milk
and honey is now deprived Of both water
and vegetation through the destruction OF the
forest, SreInmciz and other writer, npon
the suhJ-ct show the effect of destroying for
e.ts, not only IN their immediate virniiy, but
IN neIGhboriug counirie>-for example, that OF
the clearance al forests in France upon the
rainfall in En2land-but the subject is too
broad 10 be treated here.
MeteOroiosi-ts, agricuIuri>ts ani political
economists are low extensively aud seriously
>tuIyins the subject OF the weather and the
possible control of climate within cerraln
limits The prevention OF drouih, especially
claims their attention, AMI the belief Of the
people thar this may be accomplished is con
stanty increasing. Methods of Drcing rain.
bearing clouds to discharge their precious
burdens upon the earth are continually being
proposed. One chemist suggests the dis
charge Of Tree electricity into the atmos pherr:
many suggest canuonadiug. Steinmeiz recon,-
mends the English government to try the
effect of artillery during seasons of druih,
when the skies often crowded with tan,al.
nlng clouds that will not seni down their
moisture. He thinss this would be much
cc''ci use VI 'Hc SuIpO"ucI idt Is 'DidZti
away upon the field days and bloody battles"
Ii has also been proposed in England to cleo
triiy the whole atmosphere OF Grea, Britain
one mile in height by the Use OF ordinary
eIectrifying machines and the calculation Of
tie force required to accomplish this has been
effected, based upon the fact that one cylinder
or plate OF gl'ss revolving al a celtain speed
will eieciriiy 56l6 cubic feet Of atmosphere
in Two seconds of tine. Long ago SIR Rich
ard Phillips proposed TO cause rain IN droutlis
by erecting metallic conductors over the
country, which might be even more effective
than trees, beides diminishing the danger from
thunder storms" Placed on elevated sur
faces, lie and many others believe that a sutii-
Gent number of such conductors would ar
rest the clouds and cause rain enough TO sus-
tain vegetation in the most barren regions.
Dronths and foods, sudden changes OF
temperature and untimely fros,s can not be
avoided by migrating TO Ills and that much
lauded climate: there is no place on the
planet which has escaped the curse brought
by mans folly and ignorance. hTe question
of improving climates must be studied by the
modern methods Of science, and to make any
grand progress there must be International
cooperation. IL the barometer is falling or if
a storm is raging in any part of the world, we
have right to know ii, and every telegraphic
line and submarine cable should be at the
service of weather bureaus. Ii only a rthe
OF the mechanical genius, the time, the money
the esprit du corps, the enthusiasm generally.
that has b. en- expended during even the last
quarter Of century in legally Numbering
men and devastating fair lands, could have
been directed TO the study of climates and
the ~0ntrol of the weather, the most moderate
esti,Gate Of the result would seem visionary.