Mexico weekly ledger., 1915-04-08
RAIN FALL

~ dAOAe AZ leaht i've miiiiouo mofe y
commodities than were produced. Il
the entire state of Missouri Their
: would have been produced perhap
! five hundred millions more. II VI
: estimate the same amount for Kansas
f the same amount for Oklahoma anC
three times this amount Tor Texas anC
other stricken territory We have the
I grand total Of three billions that were
: lost last year simply for the lack Of
rain. Let us suppose that this esti-
mate is three times too high, thus re-
ducing the amount to one billion. II
this amount had been added to our
Z product of last year the railroads
would have earned dividends in car
rying the added commodities, banks
would have had greater deposits, labor
would have been employed more
steadily and a much greater general
material prosperity would have re-
suited.
Why should the territory bounded
| by the north line of Missouri extend
ed west and the line Of the Mississippi
extended south, with perhaps south
ern Illinois and western Kentucky and
Tennessee thrown in, be periodically
stricken with drouth when north of
the north line Of Missouri, and espec-
tally north of the north line of Iowa,
no such thing as a blighting drouth
has ever been known?
The simple reason is that as we 20
from Missouri north we approach ter
ritory which is under the influence Of
the Great Lakes, and territory |
throughout which the temperature
would average many degrees lower
than the temperature south and west
of Missouri during the summer
months, and for that reason the mois-
ture is not pulled out of the groundand
blown away. Missouri and the South
west, however, can be saved.
There are some very simple prin-
ciples in the matter of rain produc-
tion, as any student of physical geo
graphy knows. The heavy summer
rains in Missouri are produced as fol-
lows. A steady south or southeast
wind blows for three or four days or
a week, driving moisture-l laden air
from the lower attitudes of Missouri
and the South to the higher attitudes
Of Kansas, Nebraska and the North 8
west. This moisture-laden air comes
in contact with cold upper air cur
rents. condensation is produced and {
or rain results, the cold :
air currents in the meantime getting I;
The mastery and we have the phen-
'mena of heavy cloud coming up in u
he northwest, lightning all over its h
'front.' and heavy rain driven by h
northwest wind.
This south or southeast wind would =,
Tot bring US the moisture that pro- r.
iuces rain unless it came over rivefs A
'r moist land, And so it is that our .
southwest wind, coming from the n
yreat stretches of Texas. Oklahoma
md Kansas territory that is very 6,
poorly watered by natural streams, !,
ONES to US, not moisture-laden, but a,
Try and ready to drink up whatever G
moisture there is in our state. All :,
lot winds are born in southern Kan ;,
as, Oklahoma, Texas and the South =,
vest.
The only way for US to be saved n
rom this drouth-producing southwest
find IS to hit upon plan Of having 81;
urfaee water in ponds, reservoirs -
nd lakes, systematically arranged A.
nd spread over the entire country in
luding Missouri, southern Illinois, -,
arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma and
exas. If the proportion Of one acre
twenty were kept in a permanent =
'ater surface over this territory !
1retching from the north line of Mis- I
'uri to the Rio Grande, the winds !;
'ming from the southwest would be
loisture-laden till they reached Mis-
'uri and farther north. And, as the
'mperatures in the southwest are
gher than the temperature ye
ould be as the wind ad- at
anced northeast, the moistsre in da
iese winds from the southwest would wa
condensed as the winds approached tel
ie lower temperatures as they ad- w.
snced northeast. This would mean er:
I'M all over the territory covered by Ro
Us surface water. X.
By way of illustration. At the eaua-
r there is a daily rainstorm. The No
IN strikes down straight upon the lie
ater and the vapor rises. As soon vi
1t comes in contact with the cold cal
rrents of the upper air, which is ye
1t warmed by the passage Of the 10
ms rays through it, rain is pro stt
iced Vapor, condensation, rain re- ar
1t because of the great moisture at Of
at place. If brick pavement or a
eet iron belt were put around the Of
rth at the equator one thousand Ch
lies wide this daily performance gr
'uld be stopped. The sun beating Fri
'on the brick or sheet iron pave ex
snt would not produce enough naois- be
re to cause rain.
The sun beating upon the already -,
y plains Of the Southwest esabot u
ing up enough moisture 70 pro9see
in. Put over this country an open
lter surface covering . small pro-
rtion Of it and the results will h. -
lt
Tho Dooco~ n