The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1900-08-03
A LAND OF SUNSHINE.
Spain Is the sunnicst Country i'm
Europe-sunshine and Corn
In Canada.

In Canada.
The Importance of sunshine to agri-
culture has led some governments to
collect data as to the number of hours
of sunshine their countries receive on
an average. The quantity of sunshine
the atmosphere receives is very near
~ constant from year to year, but the
proportion that reaches the surface of
the earth varies according to the dis
tribution of cloudiness. Sunshine is
now recorded automatically at So of
the regular stations of our weather
bureau. Every month the Monthly
Weather Review prints a map show
ing the distribution of sunshine
throughout the country. For example,
the map for March last shows that the
northeastern United States, including
most of the region of the great lakes,
had sunshine for less than one-third
of the daylight hours. There was
much larger amount of sunshine In
most of the southern states and on
the great plains. Of course, the part
OF the country that always has the
greatest amount of sunshine Is the
subarid regions of the southwest, says
the New York Sun.
The amount of Sunshine, measured
in hours, is automatically recorded by
various instruments. Some observers
use a sphere of glass by which the
suns rays are focused on curved
sheet of paper at all hours of the day.
Others secure a Photographic print
of the track of fine solar ray that
falls through a minute aperture on
sensitive paper When there is even
faint cloudiness over the sun 1t may
be recognized by the faintness of the
record, and when heavy clouds cover
the sun there is. of course, no record
at all Thus the number of hours of
sunshine is ascertained and it is easy
to reach q mathematical statement
of the prevalence of clear or cloudy
weather.
If 1t were not for the many hours of
sunshine during the summer months
on the western plains of Canada, she
could not ripen her great crop of
wheat There are three reasons why
that region gets an uncommon
amount of sunshine. In the first
place, there is not very much cloudy
weather Then the circumference of
the earth is so much less where the
Manitoba wheat fields are than 1t Is
at the equator that the pace of the
daily revolution is also much less.
Any given area of land in Manitoba
passes from under the suns rays
much more slowly than at the equa-
tor Moreover, as everybody knows,
the farther north one goes the longer
Is the summer day until at the north
pole the day lasts for six months. So
the length of the day In Manitoba,
the slow passage of the sun over the
wheat and the absence of cloud, make
the ripening of the grain very con-
tinuous, rapid and perfect. For the
same reason, corn may be raised in
Canada in the high latitude, for that
grain, of "a degrees north.
To be sure. Manitoba, being so far
north, receives its sunshine more
"slantwise" than it would nearer the
equator, but the advantages above
enumerated fully compensate for the
lesser intensity of the suns rays.
In Europe, however, there is great
deal more cloudy weather in the
north than in the south and SO the
duration of sunshine increases rapid
ly from north to south. 1t is smallest
in northwest Europe and greatest in
Spain. Scotland has, on an average,
only 3.3 hours of sunshine daily the
year round. Ireland has about 81
hours. England nearly four. Germany
AS to five, France five to six, Austria
five to seven and Spain seven to eight
hours daily. Thus Madrid has 1880
hours of sunshine every year, Viennn
1910 hours, Hamburg 1,240 hours and
London 1890 hours.
There is good deal more cloud and
rain in west than in east England,
because the mountains in the west
condense the clouds and cause heavy
rains. So it happens that the grass
lands of the country, which require
a great deal of rain, are found chiefly
in the west, while the grain and fruit
regions are in the SUMMER and drier
part of the country east of the noun
tains, for they mature best in a rela-
lively dry and clear climate.