South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana, and the greater portions 

 of Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, and North Carolina — forms a district in which 

 fifty inches of rain fall in a year. In the southern part of Florida and along the 

 coast from Pensacola to New Orleans, sixty inches fall annually. 



On the rest of the Atlantic seaboard, and along a tract lying on the northern 

 and western borders of the above, is the district of from 42 to 45 inches. The 

 whole lake country has 30 inches, and the district of 35 inches of rain lies between 

 the two last named. 



When we compare this region with the western part of Europe, we perceive 

 that its fall of rain is twice as great. Excepting the extreme western coasts, and 

 the regions bordering on the Pyrenees, the Alps, and the Apennines, where 30 

 inches of rain fall — no part of the continent has more than 25 inches ; the high 

 plains of Germany have 20 inches, and' the country east of a line' passing through 

 Berlin and Vienna has from 17 to 13 inches. 



These numbers are the means of the observations of many years, and although 

 the whole subject of climatology is so new that perfectly reliable means are not 

 yet obtained in the majority of cases, they are sufiBciently so to give confidence to 

 the general results. 



These rains are distributed throughout the seasons, with great uniformity. 

 Along the seaboard they are almost equally divided among the four seasons. In 

 Florida and the valley of the Lower Mississippi, the winter rains predominate. 

 In the Upper Mississippi and the lake country, the summer rains are in excess, 

 and the winter rains are light. 



The greatest quantity of rain falls in the United States on the Pacific coast, 

 north of lat. 40°, where it amounts to 60 inches. One-half of this falls in the 

 winter months, and two-thirds of the remainder in the autumn. It never rains in 

 California, nor in the western part of Utah in summer, and the summer rains are 

 very light along the whole region of the United States west of the Rocky Moun- 

 tains. 



The high table lands at the base of the Rocky Mountains and the great interior 

 basin of Utah are very scantily watered, and many parts of those regions are 

 dreary deserts. 



The distribution of temperature forms a very interesting portion of the Report, 

 to which I will call your attention at another time. 



Yalnable as these observations are, they omit one element of climate of the great- 

 est importance to the horticulturist. He wants to know not merely how much 

 rain falls in his district, but what is the average moisture of the atmosphere. 

 This can readily be learned from the wet-bulb thermometer, and ought always to 

 be taken into the account in the description of climate. 



It is understood that Lieut. Maury means to extend his researches over the 

 interior of our country, as well as over the ocean. If he will include among the 

 elements of climate — the dampness of the air as well as the fall of rain, we think 

 he will find zealous co-operators among our intelligent horticulturists. 



