272 KANSAS CITY REVIEW OF SCIENCE, 
son and Dixon’s line? It might be very hot in Pennsylvania or even in New York 
state, and yet very cold in Montreal. Over what territory must it be hot or cold 
to fulfill Mr. Vennor’s predictions—in the Atlantic states, out West, or at the 
North or South? He claims the verification of predictions relative to a cold 
wave over the United States between the roth and 15th of May. 
As to the month of Juue, it was not unlike June weather in general, unless 
perhaps a little colder, as a whole. In the vicinity of Washington it was rather a 
cool month, though we had a few very hot days, still not as hot on a whole for 
the season as was the month of May. ‘The greater part of May in this vicinity 
was very hot and oppressive, and that too for a very good reason—and it is never 
hot or cold relatively to the season, without this good reason. 
May roth and 11th it was very warm here. On the 11th, about 4.30 8. M. 
we (in Washington) had a summer shower with thunder and lightning, which las- 
ted about an hour and then became cooler, as it generally does, though not al- 
ways after such a storm. From the rath to the r8thof May it was cool and 
pleasant, very seasonable weather for the time of the year. On the r4th of May 
it might have been intensely cold throughout the United States, East of the Miss- 
issippi but for a rather unusual relative location of the area of high barometer. 
On the 14th of May Zow was on a line with the south-end of Florida, while Azgh 
was to the north of Washington, thereby preventing Mr. Vennor’s prediction fall- 
ing true in force, or at least ameliorating it much. The latter part of May was 
extremely hot notwithstanding Mr. V’s. prediction that we then would have a 
severe relapse. 
July, Mr. Vennor says, will be intensely hot with terrible storms with anoth- 
er fall-like relapse. Now we all know that July is very apt to be hot and there- 
fore to be accompanied with severe storms, and it is not an unusual occurrence 
to have a cold spell or two during the summer and that we are as liable to have it 
in July as in June or August. 
In all these statements Mr. Vennor is no nearer, and gets as far from ne 
mark as any other man who will study the Smithsonian or other reliable reports 
of the weather of the United States from year to year and verture a guess in ac- 
cordance therewith. Jortunately for such prophets, the people, and even the 
people of high mental rank, are still quite ignorant of this weather question. _ It 
js a new subject. Many may disbelieve but at the same time they are unable to 
refute, so are very charitable to pretensions of this kind, coming from what they 
think or regard as commendable authority. 
These changes of weather which Mr. Vennor speaks of never occur without 
a good and sufficient cause—a cause that may readily be understood by any in- 
telligent person who will simply read the weather map—for it is there daily recor- 
ded in legible characters that never deceive. For example, it cannot possibly be 
hot in the nothern part of the United States or Canada, unless there is an area of 
low-barometer in that locality. It cannot be cold throughout the United States 
unless the area of low-barometer is on a low line of latitude. There is an end- 
