METEOROLOGY. 281 



produce corre8pou(liii,n' departuri's of tlif croj) for that year from the nomal crop. 

 From this point of view it has become the custom to publisli lu the successive 

 Weather Reviews the departures of temjierature ami rainfall for the respective 

 months as well as the accumulated departures. In order to present a condensed 

 summary of the climatic conditions during the year 1893 tables have been prepared 

 showing all of these accumulated departures. [These tables] have been constructed 

 in tlie following manner : P^or each district the departure from the normal for the 

 month of Januarj^ is shown in the first column, and is expressed in degrees F. and 

 inches of rainfall, respectively ; the departures for the month of February, after 

 being added to those of January, give the accumulated departure for that month, as 

 shown in the second column, and so on until the end of the year, so that tije depar- 

 tures given in the column for December represent the sum total of the 12 monthly 

 departures. If we wish to find the mean departure from the beginning up to any 

 month in the year, we divide the accumulated departure for that month by the 

 calendar number of the month. . . . 



"In general, it will be seen that the year has been cold, and, except in the Middle 

 and South Atlantic States, has steadily progressed from .January to December 

 toward greater deficits of temperature. [The table of accumulated departures of 

 precipitation] shows that there has been almost everywhere a deficit of precipita- 

 tion, and, except in the North Pacific district, a steady movement from mouth to 

 month toward a greater deficit." 



Summary of meteorological records for thirty-six years, 



1858-'93 {Kansas ^Sta. Jxpt. ISUo, pp. 10-22, dgms. 2). — Tables show (1) 

 the precipitation, (2) temperature, and (3) combined rainfall and max- 

 innim and minimum temi^eratures at the college during- 30 years, 

 divided into 10-day periods. Diagrams are also given which show the 

 annual precipitation and the mean annual temi^erature aud rainfall 

 curves for the same period. The mean annual precipitation for the 

 whole period was 30.17 in., the mean temperature 52.82° F. 



" [From the diagrams it will be seen that] the least rain fell in 1860 and the most 

 in 1876. Probably the most noticeable feature is the wide variations from year to 

 year in the first part of the curve and the much less variations in the last part. The 

 greatest variation from normal in the last 15 years was 7.23 in. ; in the preceding 15 

 years this was exceeded 7 times, the greatest variation from normal being 16.76 

 in ... . 



"The total rainfall for the first 8 years was 247.24 in., which, divided l)y 8, 

 gives a mean of 30.91 in. This normal curve seems to be the best test of increase or 

 decrease of rainfall. The normal curve was the lowest in 1875, when it reached 

 28.17 in. There was a gradual increase to 1884, when it was 30.66 in. This is the 

 highest normal, if we except the first 8 years, wlten no satisfactory normal could be 

 established. Since 1884 there has been a nearly uniform decrease of normal until, 

 in 1893, it was 30.17 in. ... 



"The temperature curve is quite regular, being the lowest in the second decade 

 of .January, with a mean of 23. J9^ F., and the highest the second decade of July, 

 when the mean reached 78. 70^^. There is a cold spell the first decade of February, 

 made somewhat more prominent by warm periods the last of January and the middle 

 of Februarj'. 



"In general, it may be said that the rainfall varies with the temperature. This 

 is shown in the general outline of the two curves. The irregularities in the rainfall 

 curve seem to be accidental, such as would be obtained from a single year; when, 

 however, it is remembered that this curve is the mean of 36 years, it will be seen 

 that these irregularities are quite certain to occur. Assuming that the rainfall should 

 follow the temperature, 3 serious dry periods of more or less extent may be noted, 

 9467— No. 4 3 



