STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 183 



RAIN PHENOMENA OF SACRAMENTO VALLEY. 



By Professor A. F. Goddard. 



INTRODUCTION. 



1 — The paramount importance of the agricultural interest of California. 



2 — Its growing appreciation everywhere. 



3_The noble worli that the State Agricultural Society has done since 1852. 



4 — The State, and Sacramento City's recognition of such untiring devotion, by providing the 



palatial Pavilion in the State Park, inaugurated January 26, 1884. 

 5 — The United States Signal Service in California and Sacramento City, the fruits of the late 

 Dr. T. ]M. Logan's meteorological work for twenty-five years, until his course was finished 

 upon eartli. 

 6— H. H. Bancroft's tribute to California's worth, January 1, 1876; a graphic description. 



(See Record-Union.) 

 7 — The increasing value of the thirty-four years annual tables of meteorological statistics, and 



espeoiallv the rainfall and periodical comparatively dry seasons. 

 8 — The observed uniformity of the aggregate amounts of rainfall in cycles of .A^e and six 



years. 

 9 — The sixth and seventh years from 1843-44 to 1870-77 being uniformly the dry seasons. 

 10 — Revision needed for the rain statistics of 1850-51. 

 11— The demand for scientific inquiry into the physical laws that give our periodicity of dry 



seasons and cycles of rainfall. 

 12 — Some suggestions regarding retabulating the annual rainfalls for the thirty-four yearS' 

 observations, so as to show the totals in each cycle of rains, as well as to show in other 

 columns the means of the months, irrespective of storms swelling the month's returns, 

 as at present shown, to seven and a half inches and over, up to fifteen inches. 

 13 — About eighteen such observed storms noted in the thirty-four or thirty-five years, or about 



one in some one of the rainy months, every other year. 

 14 — The means of the whole rainfall less the storms. 



15 — Recent comments of the press upon the cycle question, and our season ; comments by Gen- 

 eral Bidwell and others; note of how the press and Signal Service are making up rela- 

 tive comparisons of other seasons and this to date. 

 16_The Record-Union's credit for first noting the cycle theory, September 5, 1881. 



These are some of the kindred topics, that seem to well up in my 

 mind with artesian force, as I attempt to ply my small auger, into 

 the strata of the inexhaustible supply the State Agricultural Society 

 of California represents. Whether I may invite your attention to a 

 mere outline of them all, must rest with your judgment. 



Most respectfully submitted. 



A. F. GODDARD. 



Sacramento, February 4,*1883. 



To the honorable Agricultural Society of the State of California: 



Gentlemen : In compliance with the joint invitation of your 

 esteemed former President, the Hon. Hugh M. La Rue, and your inde- 

 fatigable Secretary, Edwin F. Smith, Esq., I most respectfully present 

 the accompanying remarks, bearing upon the climatology of Califor- 

 nia, but more especially referring to the observed rain statistics of 



