188 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



more, divided between March, April, and the first week in May, 

 ought to give us booming crops, on the uplands and the low lands. 

 We are jubilant now, and have every reason to look and hope for a 

 prosperous season, even with less than the average rainfall. Such 

 dry seasons are anything but unmitigated evils, and even extremes 

 of drought or flood serve their purpose in the wisdom of Providence. 

 General Bidwell writing January 26, 1884, published in the Record- 

 Union January thirty-first, concludes by remarking: " I am unwill- 

 ing to believe that 8 inches of rain, after the dry Winter one year ago, 

 will give good crops in Sacramento County. All my. interests and 

 hopes are that this year may be an exception to the dry season theory." 

 If General Bidwell meant 8 inches more than the 82 inches, for the 

 season, we had had at the date of his writing, I should think his remark 

 was based upon some local exceptional causes, or severe north winds 

 and frost, but I have not had time to look into that. I know that 1 882-3 

 gave such hard weather, but still gave 18.11 inches for the whole sea- 

 son, which was very fairly productive and prosperous with some farm- 

 ers; but neither that Winter nor the preceding could be called dry 

 Winters. Six inches of rain fell in 1881, before January 1, 1882; and 

 7.55 inches in 1882, before January 1, 1883. The value of tables, for 

 reference, is shown even by the occasional mistakes of prominent 

 citizens, whom we all esteem. Eight inches is below the mean of our 

 dry seasons, however, and as actual occurrences are never means, we 

 may have about 10.46 inches, which I have already shown may suffice 

 this season. We had that amount in 1856-7, and may get more. In 

 the present instance, if our season gives us about 11 inches, and we 

 have already had about 6.35 inches, we may still get about 4.65 inches 

 before the end of the season. The crops are everywhere now pros- 

 pering, and if we did not get a drop of rain in February, it would 

 not hurt us much, and 4.65 inches may be plenty for March and 

 April, and with a mild season we may get very early crops. Much 

 rain in May would be, of course, very injurious. Fears of such a 

 season as this, therefore, although it may figure only a low total, are 

 quite unnecessary. 



Two or three clippings from the press may show sufficiently the 

 reassurance that is now felt, and as this rain storm is doubtless the 

 heaviest we shall have this season, it is especially worth noticing. 

 Santa Barbara, up to February second, seems to have been the center 

 of the storm, 8.10 inches having fallen during the week (see Sunday's 

 Chronicle.) 



THE WELCOME RAINFALL. 



[Alta California, Jan. 31.] 

 It Brings Good Cheer to the Farmers and Stook-Raiskes Throughout the State. 



The rain showers yesterday kept falling pretty constantly, though at times the wind shifted 

 to the north and there were signs that the storm was about to break. Reports from different 

 parts of the State bring the good news of a general rainfall, which is sufficient to insure a full 

 crop. Its eflect on the whole State is beneficial, and there is a general feeling in this city 

 that all danger of a drought is past, and that our business men can look forward with confi- 

 dence to a prosperous season. The present rain did not come any too soon, and in some sections 

 especially given up to sheep raising, the suffering among those animals was very great. One 

 prominent dealer had 100,000 head on Monday which were in imminent danger of extermina- 

 tion. But the moment the warm rain came, and the feed started as if by magic, the condition 

 of affairs was so changed that each hour improved his bank account by thousands of dollars. 

 This is but one instance. The following is the report from the Signal Service Dejmrtment: 



The rainfall yesterday amounted to .75 of an inch, making a total of 3.24 inches for the storm 

 and 3.92 inches for the month, and 8.34 inches for the season, against 11.03 inches for the cor- 

 responding date last year; 8.02 inches in 1882; 21.35 inches in 1881; 11.53 inches in 1880, and 



