i62 POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



during droughts evaporation exceeds the supply, and the level falls 

 below the mean. Alongside of these data are indicated the dates of the 

 severe financial panics in the United States. The dates of these panics 

 were taken from one of the current histories of the United States. 



The table shows that the observations in the Ohio Valley began 

 during a period when the rainfall exceeded the average amount. This 

 lasted through 1832, after which a severe drought set in, lasting until 

 1840. The severe financial panic of 1837 occurred in the midst of this 

 drought and about two years after the greatest deficiency of rainfall 

 in the Ohio Valley. The rainfall statistics for New England show 

 that there was also a very severe and protracted drought in the eastern 

 states at that time, culminating in 1836 to 1837, when the annual rain- 

 fall was nearly nine inches below the normal. In 1841 began a period 

 of excess in rainfall lasting until 1853, after which a period of drought 

 set in, culminating in 1855 in the Mississippi Valley, and in 1856 in 

 the Ohio Valley. This was followed by the severe financial panic of 

 1857. This was in turn followed by another period of excess in rain- 

 fall, lasting until 1860 in the Ohio Valley, and until 1863 in 

 the Mississippi Valley, when another period of deficient rainfall 

 set in with the greatest deficiency in 1863 and 1864. Any com- 

 mercial effect attending this drought was overshadowed by the tre- 

 mendous disturbances in the life of our country attending the civil 

 war. Another period of excessive rainfall occurred between 1866 and 

 1869, followed by a severe drought which reached its maximum in the 

 Ohio Valley and Mississippi Valley in 1871, and in the Lake Eegion 

 in 1872. This was followed by the severe panic of 1873. This in turn 

 was followed by another period of excessive rainfall which began in 

 the Mississippi Valley in 1875, in the Lake Eegion in 1876 and in the 

 Ohio Valley in 1879 and lasted until between 1884 and 1887. This 

 was accompanied and followed by a period of unusual business activity 

 and enterprise, especially in our western states. With 1887 began a 

 long and severe drought, lasting nearly ten years and reaching its 

 maximum severity in 1895. During this interval the United States 

 was well covered by observing stations and permitted Professor Henry 

 to make an investigation of the deficiency of rainfall for the entire 

 United States. He says, in speaking of this interval, 1887 to 1896, 'T^t 

 appears beyond question that there has been a very general deficiency 

 of rain in the great majority of the years and in almost all the dis- 

 tricts. Moreover, there does not seem to be any law of compensation 

 by which a deficit in one district is balanced by a surplus in another. 

 The South Atlantic and Gulf States, in particular, show a marked 

 deficit throughout almost the entire period." This drought was relieved 

 in some sections about 1889 to 1891, as in the Ohio Valley, by an ex- 

 cess of rainfall for two or three years. In the midst of this drought 



