December 5, 1913] 



SCIENCE 



823 



tions radiated from this general axis for sev- 

 eral hundred miles in nearly all directions. 



During- this period there were a number of 

 days when Lincoln, Nebraska, experienced the 

 highest temperature recorded by the eighty or 

 more stations of the U. S. Weather Bureau 

 which report to the Lincoln office. The dry 

 period began at Lincoln on June 8 and con- 

 tinued until about September 8. According to 

 the director of the Lincoln section of the 

 Weather Bureau only 2.84 inches of precipita- 

 tion was recorded for this period. This repre- 

 sents but twenty-five per cent, of the normal 

 rainfall for this time at this station. Almost 

 one half of this amount fell in such small 

 quantities as to be of little benefit to vegeta- 

 tion. Weather records have been kept at Lin- 

 coln for thirty-two years and this is the light- 

 est rainfall ever recorded for ninety-two days 

 at this time of year. The normal precipitation 

 for this period is 11.33 inches. 



The temperature was high for the last part 

 of June and the first half of July, but the first 

 of the higher temperatures were recorded be- 

 tween July 13 and 17. These five days were 

 very hot, the maximum temperature ranging 

 from 102° F. to 109° F. More moderate tem- 

 perature followed these first blistering days for 

 about one week and then the remarkable hot 

 period began. High temperatures i^revailed 

 with hardly a break from July 26 to Sep- 

 tember 7 or 8. During these forty-four days 

 there were twenty-three days when, the maxi- 

 mum temperature was 100° P. or more and it 

 was below 90° F. on only seven days. On an 

 additional number of these days the tempera- 

 ture went to 97° to 99° F. During the whole 

 period from June 8 to September 8 there were 

 twenty-nine days with a temperature of 100° 

 F. or higher. 



The relative humidity was low at various 

 times during this long-continued " hot wave " 

 and the conditions favoring desiccation were 

 accordingly greatly magnified. Add to all 

 these rigorous climatic conditions the influence 

 of a strong wind which prevailed at times dur- 

 ing the heated season and this region was at 

 the mercy of the most extremely dry and pro- 

 tracted summer weather on record. 



The most important effect of the drought is 

 reflected in the greatly reduced yield of a num- 

 ber of the leading field, forage and garden 

 crops, the products for which the territory is 

 renowned. Fortunately the yield of winter 

 wheat was not seriously impaired because that 

 grain was so far advanced toward maturity at 

 the beginning of droughty conditions that 

 there was plenty of moisture in the soil (from 

 a very promising spring) to satisfy the needs of 

 that particular crop. Li fact it appears that 

 the yield of winter wheat for the year 1913 

 was considerably in excess of the average for 

 practically all of the drought-stricken territory 

 west of the Mississippi. 



The second and third cuttings of alfalfa 

 were, however, much less than normal for the 

 region as a whole. Some farmers secured a 

 very low return from the third crop of this 

 legume. The yield of potatoes and other less 

 important garden vegetables was also greatly 

 affected by the hot dry days of the latter part 

 of the vegetative season, although in certain 

 parts of the region potatoes are yielding 

 heavily. 



Corn was the crop which suffered most, and, 

 since the prosperity of the country is so often 

 figured with reference to the yield of this crop, 

 the effects of the drought appear unusually 

 severe. Except in a few portions of this st&te 

 (Nebraska) the yield of " King Corn " was very 

 greatly diminished and in some parts, where 

 at least some corn usually grows, absolutely no 

 corn will be harvested. 



One of the most noticeable effects of the 

 drought upon the native plant life was seen in 

 the shortening of the period of vegetative 

 growth and in the hastening of flowering and 

 fructification. This was noted especially with 

 various herbaceous plants which apparently 

 completed their summer activities several days 

 or weeks earlier than usual. Early leaf matur- 

 ity and leaf fall was common among native and 

 exotic forest trees. In some cases almost all 

 of the leaves had fallen by the end of July, 

 while in nearly all of our trees noticeable early 

 leaf fall was characteristic. Trees especially 

 conspicuous in this regard in Lincoln were the 



