The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-08-30
sunny Flora Has issued
Treatise on the Climate.
1t l. Based on All AVailab BILE
Reliable Records.
THIS is LAND OF SUNSHINE
Va Other State East OF Here
Has as Much.
Some Interesting Facts About
Heat and DrOuthS.
SUNDAY

: r. tSunUyb Flora. the local gov
e-na.-n- weather observer has written
an exhaustive treatise on the kansas
weather which j. based upon all avail
abb. reliable records that extend. bach
in some instances from 30 to 81 years
TIE article = the first authentic sum
mary o. the kind issued ana IS Of more
than passing interest. particularly in
view Of the fact that the weather in
tle last two weeks has been moro gen
Ibject.
ghc treatise follows:
Kansas. lying a. il does in the gco-
.s-s4 lIsi.aI center Of the United states.
rt- removed from any large body OF
u.ter. md extending as a rolling and
-.-85uallv rising slope from the fertile
valley ot the Missouri almost To the
i.g5niuS of the Rockies. naturally has
F.. ryIi.Jly Continental climate; that j..
,.n. that Il characterized by extremes
ar teureraturc both in winter and
summer. and generally dry. bracinS air
IA climate that is productive of boUu-
ttruI cereal crops and vigorous health
A. il lies directly across the path OF
th. strong alternating norther-
Is and suutherly winds that accompany
th, massage OF the areas Of nigh and
a-fN tttt-~~itff lfl'fF ill III stil siAl-ifSN
u-ar procession across the country, un-
ii.~mity Of weather from day to day
is the exception and high winds, with
abrupt TEN ncrit,lre changes are COM
uHn- especially in the winter time
sunny Kansas.
,l-. ~, aversia sc Kansas receives more
nsieinc each year than any other
state between il ana Atlantic ocean.
cor between II ana the Canadian boun-
dairy. and tie western third OF the state
j. n close rival Of southern California
AMI Arizona in this respect
In regard To the many conflicting
stories OF -drouthy Kansas and i'm
mcnsc crops raised in the state from
year TO year il should be stated that
there j. a marked difference between
the precipitation that falls in the east
-rn and western portions of the state
snd. while the dry weather stories have
largely originated from limited sections
in the western part of the state. the
large crop yields have been the COM
bined res,lIs of farming in all rars |
OF il.
Floods as we'll as drouths are of al I
most annual occurrence locally in the I
state as IN other states. and it is in |
teresting To note that while the aver |
age precipitation for the western part /
IF the sra-e i somewhat too light for 4
good results in raising many crops ,
commonly grown in the middle west, .
the annual precipitation for the east
ern half of the state : about the same .
p that Of Iowa. Wisconsin or Michi- /
gan. and bur slightly less than that Of
Illinois. Indiana OF Ohio.
Tho urccip itatiOn that Kansas re-
rci.es fills at a more opnortune time
than that IF any of the states men
toned From Il TO = per cent OF it
falls i'm the six crop growing months.
April u September. inclusive. and there
8 mo- state in the Union. except a few
sif and South Atlantic states that. !
taken a. "a whole. receives as much
Precipitation during these six months
a Che eastern third of Kansas.
The comparatively level and treeless
plains extending from the breadth of
t1e United States through middle and
W estern Kansas is conducive to a some
nat nigh wind velocity both winter
ana summer. especially in the western (
llit az the state. which Is one of the
y -i.'leS5 PARTS OF the country These
i--r winds are one of the most serious
landloaps Ia farming operations aimed
-o overcome the effect of deficient pre-
s Il'aJlon. as they increase the evapor-
a'i'n L. an excessive extent and carry
~ much loose soil or dust mulch
: -.'1 Would otherwise conserve the
.--.~t-lre already in the ground
ne term Kansas cyclone has he
ce'iic somewhat common expression :
-iL --4 parts Of the country. but il is
l-o-Ioie that this is largely due to
SO Grated advertising of such calam-
ll5es. which seems to have been practic-
ed by SO many of the earlier satt1e,s Of
the state %
While tornadoes Cof+an ir,,rc,,or,,- I
rallied cycioncsl of moro ~. 80 - - 1 {
- -7--H are OF annual occurrence within :
'oHndaries of the state. it should p,
o'The ~ mind that there are ap- i,
Ailnatesy $1,000 square miles in KAN !
- and the AREA affected by a single ,