The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1882-05-11
THE CAUSE OF DRoUrHs.
Interesting Letter from Professor II.

Interesting Letter from Professor Ties
on the subject.
In answer 10 inquiries propounded by
MIR. Frank Kiser to Professor Tice re.
garding the causes Of drouih the latter
furnishes the following interesting COM
municaIiOn:
ST.. LOUIS, May 4, 1882.
Prof Frank Kiser, Emporia, Kansas:
DEAR SIR:-Yours received several
days ago. You do not ask any question
tina. is pnanswerable, but you ask ques-
items that it would take volume in
stead of letter to answer, because they
have their root deep in natural causes
and laws, about which there is a la
mentable want of information amongst
the learned as well as the unlearned. I
viii therefore do the best can under
the circumstances. You ask what is the
cause of drouths
Drouihs are caused by storm centers
taking almost invariably the beaten
track they selected early IN the season,
but in doing so they are governed BY
memorable electric laws, which render
it impossible for clouds to pass over
sand plains or over areas of desiccated
soil The phllosOphic reason for this is,
the cloud being positive, acts inductive-
Iy upon the surface of the earth beneath
| il in order TO evoke a negative charge
upon it. When the surface is moist, it
responds and confronts the cloud with 8
negative charge of equal potency to the
positive on the cloud. Communication
is instantly established between the two.
The negative on the earth sends up mega
lively electrified air and vapor because
the earth repels its own electricity, and
the cloud attracts the air and vapor
charged with it. The vapor so sent M
feeds the cloud-enables it not only ~
maintain its dimensions and density,
but actually to gain in volume
and energy while it is precip-
itating RAIN upon the surface
of the earth below for by
the upheaval of vapor the cloud gains
much more than it loses by precipita-
ton. On sand plain or desiccated soil
there can be no deception of vapor, be
cause both sand and dry soil are non
conductors. Since they are non-con- |
ductors they are unable to respond to the |
induction of the cloud, and consequently |
confront it with no charge Of opposite |
electricity. Hence the cloud is not fed |
by such areas and if 1t drifts over or |
even too far towards them it cannot live |
but dies in a short time. Clouds hence,
as it were, instinctively avoid such areas |
for a whole season when their surfaces |
once have become parched aud arid. |
This is the real cause of drouths In as |
brief terms as possible. You will find |
this principle elaborated in my almanac
for 1881 in article on Petroleum and /
Lightning, also on the Goth page of
almanac of present year, and preceding
ones.
l have almost ready for The press a
volume with the title, Clouds aud their /
phenomenon, or an exhaustive investi-
CATION into the formation of rain, hail,
snow, cloud-burst-, water-spOuts and
tOTnadoes, with demonstration of their
causes and laws" In this work leave
entirely the beaten track. l give no
speculations nor theories, but vOlum-
inous facts, deduce only such differences
as are obvious, and write demonstratiYe-
ly as Lock said every one must do who
writes on science. The science of meteor
Ology is in woeful plight because those
L., =
build up system OF homogeneous as
and theories. They have ten
assumptions where they have one fact,
and generally the fact has been so emas-
culaled by manipulation that it means
nothing. Yours,
JOHN H. TICE.