626 KANSAS CITY HE VIEW OF SCIENCE. 



better economy than spending double that amount in war, which would seem 

 altogether a probable result from non-action at this time. If we do not now 

 determine on the construction of the canal ourselves, we certainly would have 

 small reason for complaint were Nicaragua to grant a similar concession to any 

 other power to that agreed upon with our Government. — National Republican. 



METEOROLOGY. 



METEOROLOGY OF THE MOUNTAINS AND PLAINS OF NORTH 



AMERICA. 



CAPTAIN SILAS BENT. 



We extract the following from an address delivered at St. Louis, Mo., No- 

 vember i8, 1884, before the Cattle-Growers' Convention, upon the subject "Mete- 

 orology of the Mountains and Plains of North America, as Affecting the Cattle- 

 Growing Interests of the United States." Captain Bent has given the subject of 

 meteorology deep study, and his views carry weight with all western people, at 

 least. — [Ed. Review. 



i^ i^ :)(. ■^ ■i^ -^ if. 



These plains extend from Texas to Canada, about twelve hundred miles in 

 length and with a width eastwardly from the base of the Rocky Mountains of 

 about three hundred miles, making an area of 360,000 square miles, or upwards 

 of 250,000,000 acres of land which, with rare and limited exceptions, are fit only 

 for grazing, and can never be profitably used for any other purposes. The laws 

 should, therefore, be amended by adding another, or "Pastoral," grade to the 

 Public Lands Schedule, and with authority for leases alone to be made to persons 

 wanting such lands in tracts of not less that 20,000, nor more than 300,000 acres 

 to each lessee, for terms of twenty years, which would prevent these lands being 

 monopolized by a few persons to the detriment of others, and would yet give to 

 the tenants seeurity in those proprietary rights necessary to prevent trespassing 

 by others, or disturbance from Government agents or officials. 



As I have before intimated, these lands can never be converted into agri- 

 cultural lands, notwithstanding the various schemes proposed from time to time 

 for their irrigation and reclamation from agricultural sterility ; for there are phys- 

 ical causes for that sterility which neither the power nor the ingenuity of man 

 can change, and it has been thought that a brief discussion of these causes might 

 not be uninteresting to the members of this Convention, and I have been asked 

 to give you views in regard to them. 



To do this will, of course, involve a wider range of investigation than if the 



