KOSE GROWING IX OREGON". 171 



MEAN TEMPERATURES OF PORTLAND, SAX FRANCISCO, AXD LOS ANGELES. 



From October 1 to May 1 may be called Oregon's rainy season, or 

 more properly the "season of rains," for there are frequently periods 

 of days and at times weeks of bright, warm days. October and March 

 are often months of almost continuous sunshine, but sometimes rainy 

 conditions prevail. 



The mean temperatures of Portland, San Francisco, and Los Angeles 

 for the past five years, from October 1 to May 1, are: 



Portland 45.7 degrees 



San Francisco 53.4 degrees 



Los Angeles 58.8 degrees 



The freezing weather in Portland in January and February in these 

 years has pulled down Portland's mean winter temperature. 



From May 1 to October 1 the mean temperatures for the past five 

 years are : 



Portland 62.3 degrees 



San Francisco 57.9 degrees 



Los Angeles 67.4 degrees 



These are averages. Averages include the highest and the lowest. 

 If a summer morning is hot and the afternoon and night are cold from 

 fog or chilling wind, the average may be low, but the temperature is 

 not even. Evenness of Oregon spring and summer temperature is one 

 thing which makes it the country where ideal roses grow. 



Evenness of temperature is a great factor in plant growth all over 

 the world. On the high table-lands of southern Mexico, where the tem- 

 perature, day and night throughout the year, rarely varies a degree 

 from 65, coffee and all tropical flora grow in luxuriant perfection. 



MEAN PRECIPITATIONS. 



The climate of Oregon shows its superiority in comparison with the 

 eastern, middle, and northern states. The average annual precipitation 

 at Portland is 45.85 inches. This is greater than in the rest of the 

 Willamette Valley, in parts of which it does not exceed 35 inches, owing 

 to Portland being at the junction of the Willamette and Columbia Kiver 

 Valleys. 



Of this 45.85 inches very little falls from May to September. The 

 official records for 27 years show that at Portland the average rain- 

 fall from May 1 to September 1 is 5.20 inches; subdivided into months, 

 the inches and decimals are: For May, 2.41; for June, 1.68; for July, 

 .54; and for August, .57. 



Louisville, Kentucky, Washington, D. C., the city of New York, and 

 Boston, Massachusetts, have about the same annual precipitation thaf 



