258 



TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



vorable conditions for the production of crops, for the reason that it gives 

 the annual rainfall from January first to December thirty-first, while the 

 result depends upon the rainfall from October to April; that is, the 

 Autumn, Winter, and Spring rains determine the success or failure of the 

 crops. For example, during the Winter of 1876-7 the rainfall after 

 January first was 6.50 inches, and in November and December of the 

 same year it was 5.75 inches, giving a total of 12.25 inches, or a sufficient 

 amount to insure a fair average crop, while in that year the crops were 

 almost a total failure throughout the State. The rainy season of 1883-4 

 has differed from any of the preceding years. The rains began at the most 

 favorable season — the last of October and in early December — 3.81 inches 

 falling before the close of the year. The people of California were never 

 more apprehensive of an impending drought than during January, 1884. 

 Business interests suffered seriously in consequence of the prevalence of 

 this opinion. Many theories were published indicating that the year 1884 

 would be one of drought ; tables were deduced showing such a probability — 

 decades of dry years coming at certain periods, of which this was to be 

 one. Still there never has been a year in which so much rain has fallen 

 after January first as has been the case in this (1884) year. The precipi- 

 tation for that part of the rainy season preceding January first, compared 

 with the average corresponding season, shows a deficiency of 1.70 inches, 

 while that of the succeeding months exhibits the unusually large excess of 

 17.64 inches, and the total amount exceeds the largest precipitation of any 

 previous year of the record. 



ELLWOOD COOPER, 

 Santa Barbara, California. 



RAINFALL FROM FORT JONES, ON THE NORTH, TO POWAY, ON THE SOUTH, 



FOR JANUARY, 1886. 



The following tabulated statement gives the rainfall for January, 1886, 

 for each place named, together with the total rainfall for this season 

 (1885-6) up to February 1, and the rainfall for last season (1884-5) up to 

 an equal date (February 1, 1885), viz.: 



Localities. 



Kainfall for 

 Jan., 1886. 



Rainfall for 



Season to 

 Feb. 1, 1886. 



Rainfall for last 



Season to an 



equal date. 



Scott Valley, Siskiyou County 



Yreka, Siskiyou County -. 



Red Bluff, Tehama County 



Oroville, Butte County 



Marysville, Yuba County 



Colusa, Colusa County 



Princeton, Colusa County 



Grass Valley, Nevada County-- 



Placerville, El Dorado County 



Georgetown, El Dorado County 



"West Butte, Sutter County *. 



Nicolaus, Sutter County 



Folsom City, Sacramento County 



Sacramento, Sacramento County 



Oakland, Alameda County 



San Francisco, San Francisco County 



Salinas, Monterey County .. 



Los Angeles, Los Angeles County 



San Diego, San Diego County . 



Poway , San Diego County. 



7.22 

 4.03 



4.80 

 6.13 

 5.73 

 4.57 

 3.91 

 12.40 

 13.08 

 1 s.32 

 4.75 

 5.32 

 7.(10 

 7.95 

 8.12 

 7.42 

 5.10 

 7.80 

 7.00 

 6.34 



22.ns 

 13.89 

 28.76 

 23.13 

 20.80 

 17.05 

 16.62 

 40.68 

 34.82 

 47.28 

 10.59 

 19.69 

 23.00 

 25.15 

 23.93 

 25.1 12 

 13.10 

 15.35 

 9.57 

 10.01 



No 



No 



12.48 



8.47 



10.87 



data. 



12.25 



3.99 



9.92 



36.37 



30.22 



42.47 



8.51 



data. 



13.70 



15.22 



13.10 



13.35 



7.73 



7.16 



5.36 



7.25 



