Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1911-10-12
The AsRIl.,InTr,sss,
Charlotte Chrsnlcle,

l A. 4AU 0eln bEUUs IN
Charlotte Chronicle,
Reeollpct the time Charlotte
had q rain trer? 1t was in the
grove mt the Episcopal chapel,
near Ninth and Caldwell STREETS.
A cub reporter on the old Char.
lotte Observer wrote a Ane STORY
lebout II, one Sunday morning,
and all that day the vicinity Of
the tree looked like a CT m p
|ground. Hundreds Of thA people
saw the mist falling from t h Q
tree. The late DR. W. NJ. Rohey
was pastor Of the Tryon Street
Methodist church at the time aud
his curiosity was aroused. On the
following day he visited the tree
and spread an oil cloth under it.
The oil cloth caught a percepti-
4 lhlequantity of water. The wea-
! ther at the time was hot and dry
and the phenomenon lasted Tor
seyeral weeks. The same tree is
there yet, but in all these sue
ceeding years, We hnve a OF
heard Of it raining. We are re-
minded oi this tree by @ yarn
(which comes from Peru, where it
is said, the rain tree grows very
large, is rich in leayes, and IS
called by the Indians tamai.css-
pia. 1t has the power OF collect
ling the dampness Of the a'mos.
phere and condensing into con-
tinuous and copious supply of
Train. In the dry season when the
rivers are low and the heat great
the trees, power OF condenslng
seems at the highest. The water
falls in abundance from t he
leaves and oozes from the trunk.
1.-THE water spreads around in yer.
|itable rivers, port OF which fill
ters into the soil and fertilizes it.
These rivers are canalizej SO as
to regulate the course OF the wa
ter. 1t is estimated that one OF
the Peruvian rain trees will on
the average yield nine gallons OF
water per day. In a field OF an
area OF one kilometer square,
that is, $3.50 fe't each way, can
he grown 10000 trees, separa.
tel from each other by 25 inc.
ters. This plantation produces
daily 385,000 liters OF water. II
we allow for evaporation and 10.
filtration we have 1875, 900 llters
. or 29,6s1 gallons of rain for dls
tribution daily. The rain tree ran
be cultivated with very little
trouble. for it seems Indifferent
as to the soil in which it grows
The tree increases rapidly and n
lsists both extremes oi climate.
Il All of this is pronounced by
S the Department Of Agricaltur'
2 at Washington q myth. Secre
tary Hayes says the lengend Q
the rain tree is hundreds OF year
old and exists IN q variety %
forms. The suggestion to us
this tree az q means of irrigation
in arid climate is also very old
!, and goes the rounds OF the news
papers from time to time, Al
article published in the April
1911, number OF The Journal o
the department. OF Agriculture o
Victoria, Australia indicates tina
q, so-culed rain tree is bein.
widely exploited and sold in Aus
n traiIia. II is found to be no NOR
efficacious in condenslng the at
mospheric moisture than an.
other freely growing tree. Al
explanation of the common tale
of the Peruvian rain tree wa
published by the eminent Eng
, lish botapist, W. T. Thistefto
Dyer, in Nature. 1t appears tina
. at times swarms of cicades set
tie upon the trees and extrac
their juices, which are showere'
: | copiously upon the ground. l