The San Francisco call., 1898-01-12
STATE BOARD OF
 TRADE ACTIVE
Preparations for the Big Paris international EXpO-
 SitiOn.
The Director General Should Be a Citizen of the Pacific
 Coast

At the regular meeting of the Cali fOrnia State Board of Trade yesterday a resolution was passed which will be placed in the form of a memorial to be forwarded to the Pacific Coast Rep resentatives in Congress, urging them to do all in their power to have the director-g general representing the Unit ed States to the Paris Exposition ap- pointed from this State. h
 making every effort to have one of the best exhibits that will be landed in Paris for the big international exposi- tion sent from California. At the Hamburg Exposition, with limited means, the exhibit was rated as the finest, and the benefits derived from being represented there are already manifest by an increased demand for the products of the State. It is the wish to entirely eclipse the Hamburg display at the Paris Fair, and in order to get a showing the local board de- sires to have the peoples representa- tive chosen from this coast-or State, if possible.
 Several weeks ago the Department of State at Washington issued what was known as Bulletin No. $, and the representative of one of the daily pa H'OAN2 NNNAdA GU Ailol IAIC OOCuillSlll gave California a black eye" by stating that this State produced but little in the way of fruits, etc. The bulletin in question was examined yesterday with care, and found to be very fair, the statistics showing that the production of fruits, nuts, etc, of California is the greatest in the Union. A few unim- portant errors were found, and the secretary was instructed to communi- cate with the Secretary of Agriculture and explain the mistakes made by the papers in not digesting the report be- fore publishing the statements.
 F.. w Maslin delivered an interesting address on the subject of the rainfalls of the State. In his remarks he said In forty-eight seasons there ha-e fa11o7 960.S1 inches of rain, an average for each season Of 20.0l inches. The total preCIpI- tation before January 1 of the seasons was 4S0.15 inches, an average of TSP l inches. This seasons fall before the 1st of January was below the average, being only 4.07 inches. This is no cause for alarm. glance at the table shows that there have been thirteen seasons in which sufficient rain fell to mature crops, but in which less than 40 inches of rain fell before the 1st of January of the season.
 I once thought that I discovered the law of storms in the State. In 1880 I be- gan to pay attention to meteorology, as I was about to engage in horticulture. In 1S00-51 the seasons rainfall was All. Counting therefrom, the sixth season 1856-57-brought 1O56 inches. The seventh season S63-64-brought 7.S1 inches. The next seventh season-1S70-71 brought SAT inches. The next sixth season-1S76-77-br S96 inches. In the seventh season thereafter-1SS3-S4- before January l, 1884, there only fell 292 inches. About this time I received some data from General Bidwell which showed that the season of 1S43-44 was an extreme ly dry season. Counting from that period there were seven seasons to the next dry season-1S50-51. 1 concluded that every sixth or seventh season there would be a drought. I prophesied. I wrote for the Placer papers, and warned my fellow and vines. Alas for my reputation. There fell that season PATS inches of rain distributed as follows: Before January l. 1884, 2.92 inches; January, 3.43 inches: February, 446; March, S.14; April. 432; May, O.6; June, L45 inches. Still I was not willing to surrender. l conceived that the law might be a dry spell every thirteen years or thereabout. According ly when before January, 1888, which was of the eleventh season after 1S76-77. there fell only 2.56 inches of rain I felt sure of my law. It is true that only Il. .5s inches fell. but the precipitation was distributed O.57; March, 3.04; April, 0.10; May, O.40: June, 0S. Notwithstanding the small amount of rain, the fruit crop of 1888 was a very fair one.
 have not discovered the law of defici- ency, and that because only 4.07 inches of rain have fallen before January l of this season there is necessarily no cause for alarm, seeing we have had thirteen sea- sons before In which less rain fell before January 1. and in each of these seasons there were good crops. In fact. we had only four bad seasons-1s50-51,. .1S63-64. 1S70- T, 1876-77-in forty-eight years, and ex- cept 1S50-51, something was raised in each season.