40 



KANSAS ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. 



CLIMATE OF KANSAS. 



BY PROF. FRANK H. SNOW. 



State University, Lawrence, Kansas, 

 January ist, 1873. 



Hon. Alfred Gray, Secretary State Agricultttral Society : 



Dear Sir : In compliance with your request I send you this da}' 

 the following facts in regard to the climate of Kansas, embodying 

 the results of my own observations since January ist, 1868. The 

 geographical position of Lawrence is such that these observations 

 may be safely presumed to represent the average meteorological 

 conditions of the eastern half of Kansas. The precise location 

 of this station is as follows : Latitude 38' 58^; longitude 95' 16'; 

 elevation of instruments 884 feet above the level of the sea. The 

 instruments are of the highest standard quality, most of them from 

 the manufactory of James Green, of New York City, maker of in- 

 struments for the Smithsonian Institution. In addition to the ordi- 

 nary apparatus for taking what are called " first-class " observations, 

 the University now possesses and has in successful operation a com- 

 plete and highly valuable collection of self-registering instruments, 

 by means of which the velocity of the wind, the direction of the 

 wind, the height of the barometer column, and the rainfall, are re- 

 corded for every instant of time. This automatic apparatus cannot 

 fail to greatly enhance the value of the meteorological work per- 

 formed under the auspices of the State University. For example, 

 the determination of the velocity of our Kansas winds will doubtless 

 dispel many vague and exaggerated notions now prevalent concern- 

 ing this peculiar feature of our climate. 



The first element to be considered in our climat tlogy is 



TEMPERATURE. 



The following table gives the mean temperature of each month 

 and year over which our observations have extended : 



