486 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



raised, no precipitation of moisture will occur over an area of high 

 barometer. 



The simultaneous weather observations conducted by the Gov- 

 ernment enable us to locate these regions of ascending and de- 

 scending currents, and long observation has enabled us to predict 

 their probable path across the continent, and it is upon these data 

 that the weather officers base their predictions of future weather. 

 Since these areas regularly travel from west to east, we in Cali- 

 fornia receive much shorter notice of their coming than do the 

 people farther east, and the weather predictions issued from our 

 local bureau are proportionally more liable to error than are those 

 issued from stations beyond the mountains. 



And now as to the possibility of producing rain by artificial 

 means. It is never safe to say what things are possible and what 

 things are impossible to man. What the future may bring forth 

 no one can tell. At the present time, however, there is no evi- 

 dence to show that even the smallest local shower has been pro- 

 duced artificially. Further than that it is safe to say that no 

 method of producing artificial rain has yet been publicly pro- 

 posed which suggests to one familiar with the scientific principles 

 involved even a possibility of success. That such attempts have 

 received the official recognition and the financial support of Con- 

 gress is only another evidence of the gross ignorance of scientific 

 principles which is prevalent among our so-called educated men. 

 That some of the men who advocate these wild schemes are hon- 

 est in their motives can not be questioned, but that all the pro- 

 fessional rain-makers are conscienceless fakirs is scarcely more 

 questionable. That many of them are able to submit testimony 

 as to the efficacy of their system is equally true of every patent- 

 medicine fraud and electric-healing quack who has ever swindled 

 an ignorant public. As an illustration of the value of testimony 

 of this kind let me give you a local example. 



I will read from the San Francisco Examiner of February 2, 

 1894: 



HE PRODUCES RAIN AT WILL. 



HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL EXPERIMENTS OF THE VISALIA RAIN-MAKER. 

 HEAVY SHOWERS AT PIXLEY. 



HE SELECT8 THE DRIEST SECTION OF FRESNO COUNTJ, WHERE RAIN SELDOM FALLS, 

 AND BY THE USE OF CHEMICALS CAUSES LOCAL DOWNPOTJES ON TWO SUCCESSIVE 

 DAYS. MANY OTHER TESTS MADE. 



VISALIA, February 1st. A week ago Wednesday Frank Baker, of Visalia, an 

 amateur rain-maker, went to Pixley for the purpose of producing rain. Before he 

 left he informed the Examiner correspondent that he intended to produce rain 

 within seven days, and he kept his word. On Tuesday and Wednesday a local 

 rainstorm occurred in the vicinity of Pixley amounting to 0-35 to 0'45 of an inch. 



