Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-10-20

pie supply of rainfall If the great
mountain ranges had been stretched
fdiagonally across the continent, cut
ting off this region from he rain bear
/ ing wind currents from the gulf this
section would be In reality the Great
American desert instead of the richest
domain of Ceres
III appears then, that the essential
features of the climate of this region
| are determined by the size and gem
eral topography of the continental
area at the westward. the height and
location of the mountain ranges, the
| direction of the prevailing winds. and
the general movement of the highs
and lows that cross the valley.
Nearly the entire amount of mois
ture preciptated over Iowa and con-
tiguous portions of the Mississippi Val
ley, comes directly or indirectly from
the gulf of Mexico. The mechanics of
this irrigation process may be under
stood quite readily. BY cyclonic force
of the powerful suction of low area
storms of a rotary character, the warm,
moist winds from the south are drawn
up into the valley, and by dynamic
cooling. are made TO deposit goodiy
portion of their burden of moisture.
1t may be said therefore, that this val
ley Is watered by cyclones. which in
their mechanical actor. and effect,
may be termed vast rotary pumps and
condensers OF atmospheric vapors. This
great central depression which may be
called the trough of the continent eX-
tending from the gulf to the arctic
sea, gives an unobstructed pathway for
the warm and moist south winds and
the cool waves from the north. which
here commingle in the atmospheric
eddies and refresh the earth with CO.
pious showers.
THE heaviest annual precipitation is
deposited in the region near the gulf,
and there the bulk of ii comes in the
fall and winter and early spring. fire.
quently in excessive dcwnpours. In
considerable portions Of the guilt reg
ion the mean annual rainfall is double
the average in Iowa, and as a result
commercial fertilizers are in demand to
restore some measure OF the loss OF Ter
tility caused by the washing and leach
ing process This state is more for
tunately located, in the region OF the
golden mean. between the extremes OF
heavy precipitation al the south ana
east, and general deficiency at the ives
and northwest In other words, the
people of Iowa suffer less damage from
excessive rains than their neighbors It
the east and south. and very much less
harm from drought than their neigh
bors in the western and northwestern
part Of the interior valley
For convenience in showing the diff
ferent conditions prevailing in the state
Mr.. Sage has divided the state into
nine substantially equal districts, each
three counties deep and three or four
four counties wide. Els Investigations
as to rainfall and temperature are sum-
married. with relation TO these nine dis
tricts. In the matter of precipitation |
it is shown that the average rainfall
for the state is 31.4 inches. The aver !
age in the three northern districts is
29.91 inches, in the central 3l.47 inches, !
and in the southern ,'2.93 inches. Mr., |
Sage has prepared another interesting |
in which he shows the pre- |
cipitation in inches in each district for |
the year, and for the six crop months of |
summer and four critical crop months. |
and the per cent of the total rainfall |
which falls in the six crop months. |
Following are the results of this in l
acfi ,rat