The Monitor., 1890-04-18
Rainfall on the Plains.

Professor Frank II. Snow, OF the Kan
sas State university, said several years
ago: But the fact that thousands of
new coiners, from ignorance of the eli
mate, have attempted to introduce ordi-
nary agricultural operations upon the so
called plains, and lave disastrously failed
in the attempt, has placed an undeserved
stigma upon the good name of Kansas in
many far distant communities, and has
undoubtedly somewhat retarded immi-
grafton during the past few years. 1t is
time for the general recognition of the
fact that, except in exceedingly limited
area where irrigation is possible, the
western third of Kansas is beyond the
limit of successful agriculture"
The severe seasons of drought which
have occurred since the above conserva-
tive statement was written show, the
whole truth of the matter to be that the
westward advancing line of settlement
is by no means an isohyetal one, but that
it is merely a line representing in way
the overflow Of the population of our
eastern states. 1t needs but q slight
acquaintance among the old settlers
in central Kansas to know that they
fear nowadays excessively dry weather
as much as they did twenty-five years
ago. The people who live farther west
are losing faith in the idea Of an in
creased rainfall, as is evidenced by the
fact that over two hundred linear miles
of main canals have lately been con-
structed for irrigation purposes nearly
as far cast as Kinsley, in the Arkansas
valley of Western Kansas. In the Platte
valley, in Nebraska, large irrigating sys-
TENS are at present being projected
Stuart o. Henry in Popular Science
aI--..t
Fan for ArithmeticiaEs.
Tall: about mathematical puzzles. Hero
is one that beats out the hen-and-a-half,
egg-and-a-half algebraical nightmare. On
Rondo street car Alderman Patrick
Kavanagh put q quarter into the change
box in the front door, An instant be-
fore a young lady had deposited dime
in the same sub-treasury. The driver
returned from the outside two change
packages, a blue and white one, stimuli
'aneously. With true gallantry Mr.. Kay
anagh waited for the young lady to help
herself, which she did, inadvertently
taking out the blue one, and, by mis-
take, dropping two dimes into the PAY
Here" lock box. Kayanagh demanded
his change, but the driver obdurately re-
fused to give any me e. Hard words
ensued, to the great embarrassment of
the lady, and the alderman refused to
take the ten cent package, which re-
manned in the possession of the COM
pany. Kavanagh, Of course, paid no
more for his ride; the young lady paid
twenty cents, and now how much was
the company ahead on the deal?-- Ches-
'er pa I acal News
Something About Cood-.,ys.
Every now and then. as we Journey
through this vale from the cradle to the
grave, it becomes necessary for us to
say good-by. Generally it is said in sad.
ness and with a sigh. We wiring the
hand of the departing friend, the sor-
Yowful tears are shed, then the bell rings
and the train goes around the curve.
This is the good-by that sticks in the
throat like Il large three cornered lump
Niid l'SlnlottiII( Itit USES 70 ije SNdltOWeu.
After this Kind Of a farewell we 90 home
feeling that something has gone out of
| life. We are like the man who puts his
foot for another step at the top of the
dark stairway and finds suddenly that it
| ism t there.
Then there is the farewell that is said
with hilarious chuckle of joy. We say
it to the bill collector, whom we have
with us always, or have had for long
time. We say it to the bore, the spring
poet, to the man who reads the exchanges
and to the writer who invariably refers
to bear rs bruin.
The sweetest good-by is that of the
girl at her fathers front gate, when only
| you or and the girl and twinkling stars
are present. To some of us it is only o
memory, this kind of farewell, but it
is memory that will remain fresh and
green long after we have passed that
callow age.
| The saddest good-by is the one that is
said by the side of an open grave
Richard s. Graves in National Weekly.