FIFTH ANNUAL MEETING. 47 



IS THE RAINFALL INCREASING ? 



Certain changes have been taking place in Kansas within the 

 the past twenty years which undoubtedly have a tendency to increase 

 the amount of rain. Among these changes, all of which result from 

 the settlement of the State, the following may be mentioned : 



First, the plowing of the soil, which is thus enabled to retain 

 a greater proportion of the rain which falls upon it ; second, the in- 

 crease of timber, due to the partial checking of the prairie fires and 

 to the direct influence of settlers in planting trees ; and third, the 

 gradual supplanting of the short buffalo grass by the longer and 

 heavier grasses which now prevail in eastern Kansas. It is, however, 

 impossible to present positive proof of the permanent increase of 

 our rainfall, on account of the limited period of observation. The 

 records of at least fifty years would be required to afford a scientific 

 basis for determining this question. 



UNIFORM DISTRIBUTION OF RAIN. 



Another marked effect of the settlement of a new country would 

 naturally be to secure a more regular distribution of the rain. On 

 this point also, the records are insufficient for positive confirmation. 

 It is, however, the unanimous testimony of the oldest residents of 

 Kansas, that the rainfall is more equally distributed now than ten 

 years ago, coming at shorter intervals and more gently, and that 

 single storms or showers extend over more hours than formerly. 

 My own records at Lawrence show that during the growing season, 

 from March ist to October ist, the longest intervals without rain 

 was in the first year of observation, 1868. The rainless intervals for 

 each of the five years were as follow : 1868, seventeen days; 1869, 

 ten days; 1870, eleven days; 1 871, eight days; 1872, ten days. From 

 these facts it appears that in neither of the five years was there any 

 approach to a drouth. The number of days on which either rain 

 or snow fell in each year, was as follows : 1868, Jj; 1869, 105; 1870, 

 100; 1871, 120; 1872, 116. This gives an average of 103.6 rainy or 

 snowy days for each year. The average number of such days at 

 Marietta, Ohio, for a period of thirty-two years (1827-1859), was 

 85.6, and at Brunswick, Maine, for a period of fifty-two years ( 1807- 

 1859), the corresponding number was ninety-four. (Smithsonian 

 Contributions to Knowledge, vol. xvi.) 



SNOW. 



Snow is recorded to have fallen as late as April 2ist (in 1871), 

 and as early as October 19th (in 1869), but not enough in the former 

 case to whiten the ground. A single fall of snow rarely exceeds 



