The Wichita daily eagle., 1895-03-29
THE ANNUAL RAIN FALL IN THE
ARKANSAS VALLEY
Anthony Kan March q. 1895

| Anthony, Kan, March q. 1888
To the Editor OF the Eagle
Many people claim that it is getting
| dr5er here each year. Of course, this IS
only an opinion from memory
San you give the amount of annual
| precipitation at Wichita for the last
| fifteen years? Yours truly,
Il. II. LOCKWOOD.
It is impossible 10 give the annual
precipitation in exact inches Ut Wich-
| it'll for the last fifteen consecutive
years. The government signal sta
ton was not located here until early
in 1855. The rainfall chart and maps
issued by the general government,
however. show Sedgwick and sum
ner counties to be within the 81 inch
rain-belt, which reaches west from 4
north and south line drawn through
Central Missouri to Il north and south
line running perhaps fifty miles west
OF Wichita. \ private record kept OF
the rainfall. at Wellington. from 1881
to 1893, inclusive, and furnished for
publication in the government tables.
show no decrease in the precipita
ton, which averaged for the twelve
years ;}3 /; inches. exactly. the high
est year being 1881 and measuring II
inches, and the lowest IS inches in
1893. But private records are not 50
absolutely correct as a rule. In going
over the records with Dr.. Johnson,
who is in charge Of the government
station at Wichita. we find that for
forty years the average in the state of
Kansas east OF the line named has
been about 81 inches. The years Of
1860 and 1874, known as the greatest
drouth years, show but - inches, re
Spectively.
From the records accurately kept at
the Wichita station for the past eight
years and officially reported we found
that the average annual precipitation
here has been for the period named
% inches, or lacking but Il very small
nual diminution, the last years, leav-
ing out 1S93,-when but 1919 inches
fell, ll,-showing a slight increase over
the former years.
The annual rainfall Of the lower Ar
kansas valley is sufficient on an aver
age TO mature full crops There have
been years when the crops were more
uniformly abundant when the rainfall
was below the average, and again
other years wherein the crops were
short with more than an average rain
fall. Its the timely rain that counts.
If the precipitation of each year could
be regulated or had when most need
ed, there would never be any crop
failures in Kansas.
As for the suggestion Of our cor
respondent Of the claim that the coun-
try is growing. more dry or drouthy,
there is nothing in it. The reverse is |
true. Even were it impossible 10
demonstrate an increase in precipita-
ton, there has been q marked climatic
change and for the better. There is
more humidity in the atmosphere than
when these vast plains lay dry and
scorching in the summer heat with
within the compass of the horizon.
The spring and fall winds are less
violent than twenty-five years ago, and
there is more morning dewS and fOgs
are more prevalent While fogs and
dew are not precipitation they are
saturaton beneficial to plant life, and
the increase of this humidity is doubt
less due to the occupation and cultiya-
ton of the soil.-due To the growing
of trees, orchards and hedges. to the
stirring of the soil, and to the presence
Of all the thousand and one influences
and appliances belonging to ciyiliza-
4ipn