Los Angeles herald., 1890-11-17
MONDAY. NOVEMBER II, 1890.
y THE WEATHER PROBLEM.

The papers in San Francisco are do
ing good deal of figuring as to the
probability of dry season. The situa-
tion with them is getting to be little
serious; for it is not often that the end
of November comes in the northern and
central parts of the state, failing to de-
velop two or three good rains, that the
season does not prove deficient in mois
ture to produce a crop. The anxiety
about this matter in the north has re-
suited in raising the price OF barley and
other feed. This is not the
only influence that has increased
the price of these commodities.
The stock of barley in the state is not
more than comfortably sufficient for
the needs of the state, even if crop for
next year were assured. This most i'm
portant fact naturally produces pretty
stiff market. Feed barley is now worth
$1.55 in San Francisco, and it is worth
fully as much here. Each week of con-
tinued .drouth in the state must
result in creating higher price
for feed of all sorts. Here hay is up to
$l7 per ton, retail price, and if the
month passes without rain. it will prob
ably. Ito 500 wholesale.
In our local columns we have tried to
allay any anxiety that may have devel-
oped as to dry year south OF Tehach-
epi pass. In period of twenty years
there has been only about one fail
ure of crops by reason of deficient
rainfall, and that was not by any means
total failure. In fact, deficient crops
have been the result oftener of too much
rain than of too little At this moment,
no doubt the failure of the fall rains in
Oregon, Washington and Northern Cal
ifornia indicates the working of a gen.
eral, law, applicable to the entire Pa
cific coast, but that is all can be
said at this time. We are only
at the beginning of the season, and local
causes often produce good rains here
when the general laws fail to bring
any precipitation in the northern por-
ton of the state. A glance at the facts
set forth in the article referred to before
will show that failure of rain up to the
end of November with us in Southern
California is fact of little or no sig
nifcance. Even should there be no
rain up to the end of December, still
the chances would be altogether in
favor of plenty of rain after that date.
For long series of years we have had
abundance Of rain every year. The re-
suit is that the ground is full of moist
ure, the streams are running good
volume, and the mountains are storing
an almost inexhaustible supply of
the precious fluid. Under these
circumstances, our moist lands will pro.
duce crops without any rainfall, our
vegetable lands will produce big crops,
and very moderate rainfall will in
sure crops even ON the dryest mesas.
Two inches of rain in the four months
from January first, would be ample for
all purposes.
The fact is Southern California is the
most certain section of the country as
to rainfall. Our dispatches inform us
this morning that one-half of the state
Of Nebraska is now undergoing famine
because of failure of the rains
last summer, and the legislature
of that state is asked to ap-
propriate 100000 to keep the people
from starvation. This is something alb
solutely unknown in Southern California,
where the crops never fail. 1t is to be
hoped that our rains may hold off until
quite late. If they do not come until near
the end of the year it is no misfortune,
but rather the opposite. If the total
precipitation for the season should not
surpass dozen inches, that, too, will be
a positive benefit to all interests.