STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 193 



THE DRY SEASON CYCLES. 



Editors Rkcord-Union: The republication in your Saturday's issue of the illustration you 

 compiled September 5, 1881, of the periodicity of dry seasons in California, from 1850-1 to 

 1870-7, inclusive, occurring in the rotatioti of six, seven, seven, six years; and the perhaps 

 more remarkable presentation you gave of the approximate amounts of each aggregate rainfall 

 within such periods, is especially in order at the j)rescnt time, San Francist^o papers anil Mr. 

 Barwick, of the Signal Service, having recently gone into the dry season inquiry. They have 

 all omitted, however, to note your aggregates of the intermediate rains, wiiich, in my judg- 

 ment, gives the greatest value to the inquiry and [loints to a much more wonderful exactness, 

 even, than you inferred at the time. In explanation, instead of massing the four aggregates — 

 118.15, I 28.05, 1 ;')ti..31, and 1 13.17 inches — as you did, and taking the mean, 124.05 inches, I note 

 their relative order, being the amounts for five, six, six, and five years each, and it is instantly 

 observable that the first and fourth, and second and third should be separately added and 

 divided, giving ns 115.84 inches and 132.18 inches respeeiiveh'. Now, then, note: You 

 remarked then that the unfinished aggregate for four years to the close of 1880-1 season (always 

 made from Septendjer to June), figured up 95.75 inches, 26.57 inches being the amount for 

 1880-1. Mr. Barwick's table presented January 1, 1884, of course brings it up to 1882-3, show- 

 ing 16.51 and 18.11 inches to be added to the 95.75 your article of 1881 explained. These three 

 amounts, or in fact the rainfall for the six years, which is the same thing, gives us 130.37 

 inches, or within 1.81 inches of the aggregate mean for six years' rains, 132. IS inches. It 

 seems astonishing, indeed, that these almost marvelous results, which you so nearly approx- 

 imated in ISSl, did not arouse agriculturists and others to their extraordinary signification. It 

 seems manifest to my mind, however, that such results are governed by as certain laws as the 

 figures present. And the interests of the people demand a thorough investigation of the phys- 

 ical causes of such relatively uniform operations of nature. The All-wise Being, who has 

 created all things in the image of his own perfection, gives "signs" of His handiwork in the 

 cj'cles of rains, and even the periods of comparative drought, for wise purposes. Exception 

 might be taken to some of the side inferences you drew in 1881, but j'our presentation of facts 

 gave us the key to what we may predicate now. I would like to make some remarks upon aver- 

 age seasons and average storms, but refrain from discussing them now, because it is preferable to 

 keep the broad issues you illustrated in 18S1 and now clear, and simply point out the urgency 

 of scientific inquiry into the causes of such effects. General Bidwell's note that 1843-4 was a dry 

 season gives another link of seven years back from 1860-1, warranting this being a seven-year 

 period also, which shows that we can hardly look for more than 6 or 7 inches to complete our 

 dry season. Such an anioimt, well distributed, will probably suffice, with good farming, in our 

 valley ; and many other districts seem to be quite as promising, so that short crops need not be 

 feared, although this may be our dry season, so called. 



A. F. GODDARD. 



Sacramento, January 30, 1884. 



THE EEELING THROUGHOUT THE STATE PRIOR TO THE RAINFALL 

 COMMENCING JANUARY TWENTY-SIXTH. 



Santa Clara. 



San Josk, January 22. — The crop outlook here is not very encouraging. There has not 

 been a rain sufficient to moisten the ground to permit plowing since Winter opened. The total 

 rainfall to date is 2.33 inches against 3.53 for the same period last year. There has been con- 

 siderable plowing done in the dry soil, in hopes that the rain will come soon and furnish the 

 required aid. The acreage already sown is but little more than half that of last year. It is 

 not expected, even with plenteous showers, that more than half a crop will be raised. The 

 fruit growers are becoming despondent, for if there should be a dry season the crop will be very 

 light, if not a complete failure. A' few heavy shovvers at the right time will give the fruit trees 

 all the sustenance required. 



San Luis Obispo. 



San Luis Obispo, January 22. — The rainfall for this county to date is 3.78 inches, very 

 nearly the same as last 3'ear for the same time. The farmers generalh' exjiress greater confi- 

 dence in the season than ever before, and on the coast a much larger acreage has already been 

 put in than for many previous years. East of the Santa Lucia Range over twenty thousand 

 acres have been plowed, the greater portion being lands broken for the first time. Rain is 

 greatly needed. The dairy interests all along the coast are suffering for it. The fruit interests 

 are also somewhat affected through the same cause. With, say five inches, more coming in 

 February, our crops are secured, though the grasses may be short. We have yet four months 

 in which to get twenty inches, our average rainfall. 



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