CLIMATOLOGY 73 



that settling a country increases the moisture, that rainfall 

 follows the plow, or that the breaking up of large areas of 

 wild land has caused the winters to become less severe. 

 Such statements are not based upon fact, as careful observa- 

 tions show conclusively that the unusual conditions are 

 only a part of the local climatic cycle. Large areas of land 

 have been settled upon the assumption that past conditions 

 would not recur, lowlands have been broken up and farmed 

 in dry seasons, arid lands have been cultivated in wet 

 seasons, and crops adapted to certain temperatures have 

 been introduced into colder climates because of the experi- 

 ence of a few years. Time brings disastrous results to the 

 owners of such lands, for the cycle eventually changes. 

 Repeated experience has shown that there is a tendency, 

 during favorable seasons, rapidly to settle and place under 

 cultivation large areas of land that have been considered 

 unproductive. For a time the returns from such lands justify 

 the expectations of the settlers, but sooner or later the 

 pendulum swings toward the other extreme and much of the 

 land becomes again valueless and is often abandoned. 



In the selection of lands, where but limited capital is 

 available every precaution should be taken to look up the 

 weather records of that locality for the twenty or thirty 

 years previous. The land should then be purchased on the 

 assumption that the worst that has been experienced will be 

 repeated. In this way provision can be made for tiding 

 over the bad seasons. The records of the United States 

 Weather Bureau are kept at many places and are available 

 for determining, in a general way, the climatic conditions 

 over a reasonable length of time. Advice should be sought 

 from residents of long standing rather than from those who 

 are interested only in land promotion and have little knowl- 

 edge outside of the current years. Attention to these mat- 

 ters would frequently save the settler much hardship and 

 loss of savings. Investment in lands where there are 

 indications of some adverse seasons should always be 



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