The National tribune., 1891-03-26
BEALTH BINTS
For Old and Young.
BY FELIX l. OSWALD, II. D.
CHAPTER CIV.
CLIMATIC HEALTH overwhelmingly.

MexGaus, who never appreciate good weather
till they can cure ierkcd beef in the open air.
There is no doubt by this time that the same
becf-curiug sunshine vii! rpen the finest fruits
Of this Continent, but for people wish weak
lungs the atmospheric condition Of oar south
eastern bOrdcTlaHds Is really often rather try
ing. The heat itself is not the worst, though
on one occasion the mercury IN the suburbs Of
Santa Barbara rose to 80 degrees in the shade
but after a months drouth the wind from tho
trcCics5 hIll,iIes frequently brings down clouds
OF hot gritty sand. an admixturo which by
the way, has been found 10 explain the atllICt-
iyenCss Of the Italian srocco.
DIR. iieukeudorf, an Austrian physician, who
had spent several Winters in Naples, noticed
that even without n worry pcrccptible change of
temperature storm wind from the south
would cause sick headaches and respiratory
difficulties. With the aid Of a tiuimi.h he
cO"trlyed an apparatus that turned u moist,
| viscid surface to- WiHdward with every shift Of
| the gale, aud thus demonstrated that the south
wind was saturated with iunumerable PARTICLES
| OF fine sand.
From the neighborhoOd Of Fort Yuma TO the
| latitude Os San Luis Obispo similar sand drifts
are often waited over from the Mohave Desert
| and the sterile tablciands Of the Arizona bnr-
der. Besides. the settlers Of tire pastoral hill
| country arc given TO an unpleasant custom. In
order 70 keep up the range" they light fires,
which destroy weeds and iertilize the soil for
the growth Of grass, but at the sane time
evolve smoke clouds which az certain timc5 Of
the year vail the landscape over hundreds Of
square miles
Sensitive lungs cannot he expected 10 breathe
such an atmosphere with comfort. COusump-
lives experience an aggravat!oa Of tho cough
provoking tickling. and feel m exhaustion
similar to that produced by the dog days heat
OF a smoky eastern manufacturing town. The
victims OF asthma sHiler even more from the
same cause. Experience has taught me-"
writes a friend Of mine, that my trouble is
apt TO sutside after every decided change Of
AIR. either from the highlands to the seq-coIst
or back again 70 the mountains After q two
years residence IN st. j decided to
give myself the benefit OF a still mOre thorough
going change, and got ticket to Portland, Ore.
/ Tie six days rifle nearly wore me ont, but t1y
asthma was gone and stayed gone when / ven
tured % drift further south 10 the Golden Gate
and to the southern Fl Darado OF health seek
eTs. The Winter was more than usually cool,
and just rainy enough 10 keep the dust down;
but the next SKINNER made mp for lost time,
and hope / shall never have To repeat the cX-
perieucc Of the first saud-storm. Ny misery in
81. was nothing compared 10 that. For
q week hardly could draw q single breath Of
sufficient air. and noticed my loss Of vitality
by many symptCms-thc shrinking Of my hands
into mere combinations Of bone aud skim comb
Ing ont handfuls of hair, aversion 20 physical
I 4 ~
have finished ne; but was saved once more
by timely chance to apply my old rcfuuIy.
Having read about a suOwStDTn in the neigh
/ boring Sic!Ta, ] started 10 once for q highland
resort where only load Of blankets can keep
I your toes from freezing 40 midnight, and that
\ soon brought me round again. Even at noon
I the temperature during that spell OF north
/ wind was anything bu. agreeable 10 a visitor
from the superheatcd coast; but the atmos-
| pheTe was absolutely clear, aud my asthma
+ subsidized on the third day"
| California has indeed. the advantage or offer
/ ing facilities FOR very decided changes Of eli
/ mate at short notice. At Sacramento q summer
/ heat OF lJ3 degrees IN the shade is nothing cx-
/ traOrdiuaTy; but from the hiiitOp5 u few miles
north Of the same city. the visitor can get a
/ glimpse of mountains crowned with almost
perpetual snow, and IN q few hours ride c1n
reach beach where the water Of tire Pacific,
at distance OF only 20 yards from the shore,
\ maintains a temperature Of less than 90 de-
I grees Fabrcnheit-the average oil ordinary cool
/ sprinc-water.
| There are years when the citizens Of
San Diego have 10 shift with less than 10
/ inches OF rain per year; hut IN NOcpa Valley
/ Klamath County, the Faiu-gauge during the
/ same period, has recorded an aggregate OF l29
/ inches. DIR. Il. A. kirkpatrick, Of the United
States Array, verified that astonishing fact by
| careful measurements and one Winter recorded
/
| in January.
The boosted equality Of temperature applies
| chiefly TO the coast Counties, aGd iuvaiids who
have stock in orange plantations and distrust
tho in:allibility Of the lymph" prophet, c4n
| really not DO better than 10 defy fashion and
turn northwest instead Of south after reaching
the threshold Of the Golden Gate. SOnOma
County, directly north Of the BAY, is already
| tOleTably free frCm sand-winds aud tho forests
| OF its cOast-hiil5 contrast pleasantly with the
| barren ridges Of the southwest Counties But
all thOse advantages can be claimed still more
decidedly for the hilly construction still further
Notwithstanding aud Humboldt Counties
Travellers who have seen only the thin upland
forests of our southern Allcganics can form
no adequate idea of the wealth of arbOreaI
| vegetation crowded on the coast range of north
| cTn California. species of cOnifcrOus tree
| known as the redwood" and said TO be strik-
| ingly similar TO the CCdars Of Lebanon, hero
attains hight of $50, and even Of 200 feet,
| and grows in forests so dense that Prof w. T..
Gibbons explained the often-repeated figure
of S-like appearance Of the cross section Of
| saw-lOgS on the theory that two trees, growing
close together, had approached in tho course of
their growth till their stems united and be-
| came consolidated for distance of so feet
from the ground. The evergreen branches Of
| thosC forests have remarkable influence in
equalizIng the climate by eondeusing and alb
| sOIbing the moisture OF sea-fogs ia Winter and
| exhaling 1t again under the influence of the
| warm Summer sun, besides interpOsng me-
chancal barrier to the northward progress Of
sand-stOrms.
The climate of valleys Embedded in those
forest hills still resembles that of Italy but the
Italy Of Pliny's time, when the entire Mcdi-
terranean Sea was still Wood Lake of Para
disc" and the coast-dwelIeTs of Sicily had not
yet begun to suffer from sun-blisters and sand
sore eyes.
The Norman Adventures who conquered
Sicily under the banner Of Robert Guiscard,
would hardly recognize their descendants in
the present inhabitants; but a horde Of those
same NOrmans also cOlOnized the west coast of
Iceland, and it must be admitted that their
frOst-tOEtured progeny still inhabiting the low
lands Of that island has degenerated in way
that would excite the pity even of their Seiian
kinsmen. The 900 Winters of their national
existence have shortened their stature by nine
inches and their average longevity by 10 years.
| Their hereditary pluck has saved them from
utter defeat IN the struggle for survival, but
their victories, like those of Lee in the Wilder
ness, were purchased at price that will prove
| TuinOus in tho course of q few repetitiOns.
The truth is, that in the neighbOrh0od of the
| Arctic circle the autidote Of frost is admins
tered in rather indigestible quantities. Up to
a certain degree Of northern latitude cold air
| has proved stimulant Of human energy that
outweighs the climatic advantages of the fertile
| south; cold air makes mnce-pies digestble
and mint julep less Immediately fatal; il rids