460 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. II., No. 3.5. 



In the table which we present (table III. ) , 

 and which is a mean of dail}' observations for 

 a period of five j-ears, a cloudy day' is one in 

 which the heavens are from seven-tenths to 

 entirelj' obscured hy clouds ; a fair daj- is one 

 in which the heavens are from four to seven- 

 tenths clouded ; all else are classed as clear 

 daj's. From this it will be seen, that for our 

 purposes clear and fair daj^s maj- be classed 

 as one, and may be put into juxtaposition with 

 the cloudy days. Consulting these tables, it 

 will be seen, that in Denver the mean number 

 of cloudy days in a j-ear is onlj- one-half of 

 what it is in either Augusta or Jacksonville, 

 that it is less than a half of what it is in St. 

 Paul, and that it is slightly less than what it 

 is in Los Angeles. 



TABLE III. 



Augusta, Cra. . . 

 Jacksonville, Fla. 

 Boston, Mass. . . 

 Newport, R.I. . . 

 New Toi-k, N.Y. . 

 Philadelphia, Penn. 

 Chicago, 111. . . 

 St. Paul, Minn. . 

 Denver, Col. . . 

 Santa F(!, N. Mex. 

 Salt Lake, Utah . 

 Lob Angeles, Cal. 



Mean pok .5 tears. 



Clear. Fair. Cloudy. 



To put this fact in another waj^, it is seen, 

 that in Denver there is onlj"^ about one-eighth 

 of the entire year when an invalid would be 

 kept in the house on account of the weather ; 

 in Jacksonville and Augusta he would be con- 

 fined to the house, for the same reason, one- 

 quarter of the year ; in St. Paul he would be 

 kept in-doors between a third and a quarter of 

 the time ; while in Boston he would have to be 

 housed a good third of the time. 



Admitting, then, the force of Dr. Flint's 

 statement, our tables show that there is no 

 place in this whole countrj^, where it is possible 

 for the invalid to enjoy so much fresh air and 

 sunshine, as in the Rocky Mountains. For 

 three hundred and twentj' days out of every 

 three hundred and sixtj'-five it is possible to 

 roam at large, and to breathe in health. 



We feel, that, so far, our tables have shown 

 that the Rocky Mountains furnish climatic con- 

 ditions of elevation, humiditj-, precipitation, 



temperature, winds, and sunshine, which rec- 

 ommend them as a resort for phthisical inva- 

 lids superior to any thing to be found in this 

 country-. 



Observations by seasons. 



Having arrived at these general conclusions, 

 the writer wishes to call attention very briefly 

 to their accurac}' and importance as applied to 

 the different seasons of the year. He wishes 

 to lay stress upon the evidence which goes to 

 show that Colorado and New Mexico furnish 

 favorable resorts for phthisical invalids during 

 the winter and spring, — the very seasons that 

 are most trying in the east, the seasons that 

 they are obliged to avoid, and to seek new 

 abodes at the resorts. The elements of eleva- 

 tion and barometric pressure will remain near- 

 I3' constant the year round. But how is it in 

 regard to the humidity of the air in Colorado- 

 during the winter and spring ? The writer has 

 selected at random, and without reference to 

 whether the showings would be favorable or 

 unfavorable for a given place, the 3'ear 1880 

 as his basis for comparison. Hy referring to 

 table IV., part i., it will be seen, that both the 

 relative and absolute humidit}' for Denver 

 during the winter and spring is absolutely, and 

 by comparison, \evy small ; that, as compared, 

 with Augusta and Jacksonville, it makes a 

 wonderful showing in these respects ; and that 

 the ratio of the absolute humidity as between 

 Denver and Los Angeles is as 1 to 3 for these 

 seasons. 



When we turn to our tables (table IV., part 

 ii.) , we learn that the amount of precipitation 

 at Denver for these seasons was almost nil; 

 that the mean monthly precipitation at Den- 

 ver for the given time was only a small fraction 

 of an inch in rain and melted snow. Carry 

 out, now, the comparison between Denver and' 

 Augusta, Jacksonville and Los Angeles, and 

 see the tremendous difference in this particular 

 between these places, — a showing immensely 

 in favor of Denver. It will be seen that our 

 general conclusions are very much strength- 

 ened bj' this particular application, and that 

 we have brought strong additional evidence in 

 favor of Colorado as a resort for persons 

 affected with phthisis pulmonalis. 



When we turn to our tables to learn in re- 

 gard to the winds at these places for the givea 

 seasons, we see that the conclusions previously 

 reached in regard to Denver, in this particular, 

 still hold true (table V.). 



Temperature. — We come now to our last 

 observation, and to a brief discussion of what 

 some may consider the weak point in regard 



