467 



ci])itatioii, giveu in inches, for four i)1cUh\s in tlu' re.i»ion. Of these, 

 Kapid City and Fort 3Ieade are just outside tlie foothills, ISpeartish in a 

 canyon in the first range, and only Dead wood within the Hills i)roper; 

 but the last is neither at a very great altitude nor even near the part 

 that has the greatest piecipitation. Tlie table shows an increase of 

 about 2 inches in the average annual ])re(ii»itation for every 100 meters 

 in altitude. If the i)recipitati()n of tlie higher i)arts of the Black Hills 

 should be calculated on that basis, which would obviously be incorrect 

 since many other meteorological conditions must be taken into consid- 

 eration, the annual rain and snow fall around Custer would be about 32 

 inches and that of the Harney 31<mntains about 40 inches or more, and 

 still I do not think these figures are overestimated. The signs are 

 unmistakable that the precii)itation of the region around Harneys Peak 

 is much larger than that at Deadwood. The more luxuriant growth of 

 the vegetation, notwithstanding the higher altitude, the great abun- 

 dance of plants that need a humid climate, as for instance ferns, mosses, 

 liverworts, and lichens, aud the innumerable streams that originate 

 there, show that the i)recii>itation of the southern Hills must be greater 

 than that of the northern. 



For comparison I have included in the table the precipitation of four 

 stations .situated on the table-land between the Black Hills and the 

 liockies, and also of three stations within the liocky IMountain region. 

 It can be seen at a glance that the ccmparison is favorable to the Black 

 1 1 ills. It would be naturally anticipated that the precipitation would be 

 greater here than on the nearly treeless X)lains, but that it should be so 

 much greater than in the places cited iu the Eockies is more unexpected. 

 It is intimated that the rains from the Gulf of ^Mexico do not reach the 

 Kocky ^lountains, and that the rains in tliat region come from the west. 

 A i>lace situated on the east side of the mountain, as is the case with the 

 three stations given, would receive ver^^ little rain, as the moisture 

 would be combed out by the mountains. 



Whatever the cause, the precipitation of the Black Hills is greater 

 than that of certain places in the Kockies, as can also be seen from the 

 table. The situation of Colorado Springs is similar to that of Kapid City 

 or Fort ^leadc, and that of ( Jeorgetown or Helena, can be compared witli 

 that of Deadwood, Even on the top of Bikes Peak, which takes away 

 tiie rain from Colorado Springs, the precipitation is not greater tiian 

 that of Deadwood, and T am suie that it would stand low in compaiison 

 with that of the Harney Mountains, if any records had been made at 

 the latter place. 



