Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-02-01
THE DRY SEASON CYCLES.


EDS. RECORD UNION The republication
il your Saturdays issue of the illustration
you compiled September ), 1881, of the
pesiodicity Of dry seasons in California, from
1850 l to 1876 Z, inclusive, occurring inithe
rotation Of G :, I, years and the perhaps
more remarkable presentation you gave, of
the approximate amounts of each aggregate
rainfall within such periods, Is especially in
order at the present time, San Francisco
papers and Mr.. Barwick, of the Signal Ser.
vice, having recently gone into the dry sea-
son inquiry. They have all omitted, how.
ever, to note your aggregates OK the inter-
mediate rains, which, in my judgment, gives
the greatest value 10 the Inquiry and points
to a much more wonderful eXactness even
than you inferred at the time. In explaua-
ton, instead of msssng the four aggregates
1lS5l, 12S c.. 1876 81 and ll3.l7 inches-as
YOU did, snd taking the mean, 12f05 inches,
note their relative order, being the amounts
for FIVE, six six and five years each, and it Is
/ instantly observable that the first and fourth
and second and third ADuld be separately
added aud divided, giving us ll5 81
ches sGd 1872 Is inches respec lively. Now,
then, note: You remarked thea that the
unfinished aggregate for four yesrs to the
close OF the lSS0-l season always made from
September TO Ju0e) figured up % - inches
2j.57 inches bsiug the amount for lSS0-l.
Mr.. Barwick's t,ble presented ia uary l.
1884, Of course brings it up to 1882 3, showing
Is 81 aud Is II inches to he added to the
% - your article Of 1881 explained. These
three AMOUNT or 10 fact the rainfall for the
six yesrs. which is the same thing gives US
800 81 inches, or within l 81 inches OF the AZ
sregate mean for six years rains, 1872 Is
inches. Il seems astonishing, indeed, that
these aImos: marvellous results which you so
yearly Appropriated in 1881, did not arouse
aericulturists SUD others to their eXtrsordiE-
arv siznifcation. 1t seems manifest to my
mind, however, that such results are lverued
by as certain laws as the figures
present And the interests Of the peo.
pie demand a thorough investigation Of
the physical causes of such relatively uniform
opersiiors Of nature The All-wise Being,
who has created all things in the image Of his
own perfection, gives signs Of His hsudi
work In the cycles Of rains, snd even the pc
RODS OF comparative drought, for wise pur-
poses. Exception might be taken to some Of
the side differences you drew in 1881, but your
prtseu tation Of facts gave US the key
to what we may predicate now. l
would like to make some remarks upon
AVERAGE seasons ard average storms,
but refrain from discussing them now, be-
cause it is preferable TO keep the broad issues
Won illustrated in 1881 and now clear. and
simply point out the urgency OF scientific iu-
. quiry into the causes of such fleets. General
/ Bidwells note that 1913 was o dry season
gives another link Of seven years back from
/ 1850 l, wsrranting this being 9 seven-year
period also, which shows that we csn hardly
/ look for more than or inches to complete
I our dry SESSION. Such an amount, well dis
/ tribusej, will probably suffice, with good
/ farming, in our Valley and many other dis
/ tricts seem to be quite az promising, go that
short crops need not be feared although this
nsy be our dry season, So called.
A. T. GODDARD.
. Sarrap.a,s- 1884