Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-12-02
CONCERNING RAIN.
The Way 1t Comes, East and
West.
A VERY INTERESTING CONTRAST.
Seine Entertaining Figures - The
Drawbacks Of an Average
Eastern Storm.

ventures to grumble at the inconveni-
once of the rain in Southern California
he is respectfully asked to contrast it
with the annoyance which he was &C.
customed to put up with from similar
source back East. With about 80 per
cent. of the adult population this com.
parison is easily instituted as they can
readily remember the climate which ex-
lists on the other side of the Rockies.
When the former resident of the Eastern
States recalls the drawbacks Of the
climate which he has left behind him,
he is inclined to think only OF the ice
and snow and intensely cold weather.
The rain is drawback which is COM
mon to both this country and that. He
10 liable to overlook the fact that there lie
"a much difference between the rain
performances of Southern California and
those OF the East IS there is between
plunge in the ocean and dip in
muddy pool. Both are wet but each in
its own way.
1t must be admitted that rain is a
necessity and no sane person will object
to its delivery. The only question 10 in
what quantity and by what sort of an
arrangement will you have it. When
the Irrigation Committee of the Senate
visited this section short time ago the
statement WAS made by Senator Stewart
and repeated by Major Powell and other
members Of the party who had made q
special study of rainfall, that the guam
tity of water delivered annually to this
section by the forces of nature was
amply sufficient to allow the most COM
plete cultivation, and that it fell at such
times and in such amounts as was in
every way best suited to produce the
finest results in agriculture. 1t must be
remembered that experience has shown
that better results in cultivation can be
obtained by the storage of water and it's
use in irrigation than by having it come
to the fields and orchards in the fall of
rain. Thus if the fourteen inches
Of rain allotted to this Sec
ton fell evenly throughout the
year at the rate of little over one
inch q month, it would lack but little
of being desert unless fogs or some
other humidity came in to save the land.
The question Of the utility of the rain is
thus disposed of-all that remains is to
discover whether q rainfall could be
arranged by nature in a pleasanter and
more convenient shape than that ex-
perienced here in Southern California.
There Ia tradition among travellers
who have never visited Central America
that the city of Guatemala possesses the
finest climate in the world, and one of
the reasons which passes current is that
it rains in that city at exactly O'Clock
every afternoon for the space Of twenty
1--WE minutes, and then Instantly clears
up. 1t might be debated whether such
an arrangement as this would satisfy the
chronic grumblers, ever, if it existed, but
rs it happens it does not exist. Some
members of the Weather Bureau of the
United States, probably overcome with
envy at the thought of the easy situation
enjoyed by the weather prophets OF
Guatemala, looked into the matter and
recently published statistics showing
that the climate of that republic was as
changeable and uncertain as its form OF
government. 1t cannot therefore be
held up as rival in the matter of
its rain. arrangements to Southern Cali.
fornia.
The rainfall of Los Angeles has an
average total of IA inches. That of New
York City averages AZ inches, of Chicago
81 inches. The mean average for the
whole United States ia 367 inches. Thus
it will be seen that, admitting the state
ment that we have plenty Of water for
the cultivation of good crops, it follows
that New York mas % more inches than
are really needed, and Chicago and
vicinity %. When the fastener has
the not uncommon misfortune to get
caught out in an unexpected shower,
nj L.
temper spoiled, he can hardly
that the rain was necessary evil, for
the chances are that it belonged to that
allowance of 25 inches or 30 for which
nobody has any legitimate use.
The IA inches of rain of Los Angeles ia
months OF the wear, the bulk of it COM
East are spread out over the entire twelve
months, the bulk of it coming with mys.
FERROUS fatality on the days set apart for
brations of all sorts.
without ample warning. There are sew
eral days OF GLOW process of cloud
gathering during which there is plenty
pare for the emergency that approaches.
lis almost as easy to predict rain with
certainty in Southern California as it is
phase Of the neon. For that reason
some attention IL paid to the utterances
of the local weather bureau. They gen.
orally offer definite prediction as to
whether it will rain or not, which will
not read like most of those promulgated
back East: "Cold, cloudy, slightly
warmer with clear weather; local
rains"-and the next day it showed.
Clouds in California are created for
the purpose of first predicting and after
wards delivering rains. They are here
for business and not for amusement.
The average number Of rainy days for q
period OF ten years in Los Angeles has
been 40; the number OF cloudy days was
49--enough to thoroughly predict the
storms. In many sections Of the East
the clouds seem to be bestowed good
part of the time with sole view to con-
kibuting cerulssn scenic effects. Some
optimistic proverb-maker who probably
caught glim pses Of the sun in the foggy
island Of England several centuries ago
announced that "every cloud has q sill.
YER lining" It happens that those in
Southern California are for the most part
plated on both sides.
The rainstcrm of Southern California,
even when it is in active operation and
doing its worst, is nothing like the ma
lignant rainstorm which prevails in many