458 KANSAS CITY REVIEW OF SCIENCE. 



slowly passing through a series of changes from an original nebular mass of in- 

 tensely high temperature to an entirely solid mass of low temperature. The sun 

 and the larger planets of our system illustrate the early stages in this series of 

 changes. The earth is in an intermediate condition between the two extremes, and 

 the earth's moon represents the extreme of entire solidity, in which the waters and 

 the atmosphere which once covered and surrounded its surface have been ab- 

 sorbed within its mass, and a very low temperature continually and everywhere 

 jirevails. There can be no doubt that the earth is very gradually approaching 

 the moon's condition, and that some time in the far distant future, how many 

 millions of years hence no man can determine, its atmosphere and surface waters 

 will entirely disappear, and a low temperature prevail, even in its tropical re- 

 gions far exceeding the cold of the coldest Arctic winters in the present age. 

 There can be no doubt, therefore, that, considered with reference to long periods 

 of time, the rainfall of the earth is diminishing. If prehistoric man, 10,000 years 

 ago, had kept scientific records of the rainfall of his time, and it were possible to 

 compare these records with those of the present day, it would be found that a 

 -considerble reduction of the average annual precipitation has been made in the 

 period named. Even a thousand years might show a perceptible decrease. But 

 in so short a period as the lifetime of a single generation of men, or even in an 

 entire century, the average annual rainfall of the entire globe has probably been 

 reduced to so slight an extent as to be expressed by a very few hundredths of an 

 inch. 



Yet, although the entire movement is in the direction of a reduction of the 

 rainfall, there are without doubt, local oscillations in consequence of man's influ- 

 -ence upon nature, which in some cases result in a more rapid decrease than 

 would otherwise be accomplished by the unaided forces of nature, and in other 

 ■cases within limited areas secure an actual increase in the rainfall. I believe the 

 State of Kansas furnishes an apt illustration of a change of the latter sort. Here 

 the circumstances have been extremely favorable to such a change. Thirty 

 years ago the Territory of Kansas was not occupied by the white man, and if we 

 except a few acres cultivated by the Delaware Indians, no portion of her soil had 

 been turned up by the plough. Her entire area was included within the vast 

 and almost unknown region of the "Treeless Plains" and the "Great American 

 Desert." During that brief intervening period, more than 1,000,000 people, 

 •chiefly of the agricultural class, have taken possession of her domain and have 

 already brought her to the very front rank of the States of the Union in the 

 icxtent and value of her agricultural products. 



History affords no other instances of the permanent occupation of so exten. 

 sive an area previously unoccupied by man by so large an agricultural popula- 

 tion in so short a space of time. Here certainly, if human agency could any- 

 where affect climate, would such an effect be produced. Here, assuredly, if set- 

 tlement ever increases rainfall, will such increase be most marked and most un- 

 mistakable. That such increase has actually taken place, I beUeve to be estab- 

 lished beyound a doubt It is a circumstance peculiarly favorable to the deterrai- 



