The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1898-01-13

QUA Valley. the great grape-grov-|
ing region OF CalifoTnis, the annual
rainfall il bat seven inehss, and from
May to Ssptember enly about ak
tenths Of an inch falls, yet the vines
fourssh throughout the season. IL 10
true they are irrigated BY canals. but
the moisture il absorbed and trans
mit;ed by the soils There 10 no ssr
face application Of water. In Soutn-
ern California the winter rainfall il
about lG inches, the sumDer rainfall
less than an inch, and, without irri-
cation, tobacco and other crops grow
luxuriAn;ly. At Chino, in this dis
trict. sugar bsets Which require Q
great amount Of moisture. grow IA
mously. The surface soil dries ont
in the summer forming . dry crust.
or mulch; which seems TO protccy the
soil beneath. In the territory about
Walla WAlla and Pullman, termed
the Palous district, the annual rain
fall varies from 10 to 20 inches, OF
which from ! to 10 inches fall during
the season Of the growing crops yet,
owing TO the wonderful power of the
sol 10 retain water aud supply IL To
the crops. a drought of months is
less injurious there than one Of the
where the annual rainfall is about
forty inches.
A Riddle >~i-ntis,..
In North Dak - the difference Of
the ; ills ,oour Bismarck, when con-
tra>ted with IN ,se about Fargo and
! ltn, stown. where the crops depend
upon timely rainfall, renders the
crops about Bismarck very.uncertain,
while those of Fargo and jamestown
seldom fail. In the MOjav and Ne
vada deserts the annual rainfall av-
erages about five inches, but beneath
the alkali crusts the soil is always
moist, a fact which the scientists
have as yet been unable to explain.
In fact, .ittle is yet known of the
power OF the soils to mold water. As
artesian wells show water in all these
districts from 40 to 200 feet below
the surface, il is considered possible
that there Is slow and continuous
movement Of water upward from
| the artesjap -nurces which are be-
yond the irti4 ncs of local climate.
| This is especiany believed to % trus
OF the desert Districts where the
moisture of the sou cannot be eX-
| planned "i the theory That the soil
could r. tam lis mOlstur,- from the
Insignificant ca,ntall. By placing
Ill 4 oil
places at various depths, from few
inches to twenty i've feet, IL is be-
lieved that IN the future the dlrec-
ton and intensity of what might be
termed the water waves of the earth
can be accurately determined.
The use of electrodes for deter
mining the moisture OF the earth has
beeen quite extensive in the east and
produced satisfactory results. The
principle made use of is the resist.
ance fforded by the earth at diff ,r-
ent ds pths to the passage of an al
Cer0atlng current of electricity. II!
the g. nth is ats lutely dry, of course
The u SlStance would bo too great
tor i passage "f the current. Al
the IL DISTURB increases, water beiuy
p-,ject conductor, the resista nee
d-cr asses. In truck farming and
ga rd, n work where cultivation Is IN
tense, it is believed that these cleo
trodes, which require but two OF
three ordinary cells for their opera.
ton, can be used with great prof,
by those who are at all scientific in
their methods.
The Greater New York.
New York Telegram
For six months, until the machin.
cry of the new municipality gets
into motion, the Mayor of New Y ork
has the power of an autocrat. He
may appoint officials with salaries
running into the thousands with q.
lavish hand as ever emperor treated
his favorites.
The Mayor will appoint every de-
partment head in the city, except the
Comptroller, who is elected for fOul
years. He will appoint all commits
sioners, all justices of inferior crimi
nal courts, ali the members of ths
school boards, with the exception oil
the Commissioner of Education
the justices Of Special sessions, ant
the police magistrates, and is giver
the power to remove any oficia
in New York and appoint his sue
cessor.
There are five boroughs in tn,
Greater New York-namely. Man
haitian, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens
and Richmond. The Municipal Leg
islature consists of the Council, will
twenty-eight members, and a boart
of aldermen of sixty members. Tn,
| President of the Council was electe,
: by the people. The President of tn
, Board Of Aldermen will be chosen b,
> the members of that body.
5 Mayor Van Wyck is given powe
7 to veto any ordinance or resolution
/ of either body of the municipal as
! sembly unless five sixths of the mem
3 bers of both houses declare other
: wise.
Q Each of the five boroughs has
4 borough president but his principa
duty is to preside over the variou
local boards in his borough.
q Resolutions of Farmers Alliance.
: Progressive Farmer.l