4 BULLETIN 652, IT. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



and are not so serious as in regions where the level of the ground water is 

 so much farther below the surface of the earth. June and July are usually 

 the wettest, and October and November the driest months. Rain falls about 

 once in three days. The average number of rainy days is 108 in the eastern 

 and from 77 to 80 in the western portion of this section. 



The following rainfall data are taken from the Weather Bureau records: 



Mean monthly and annual rainfall, in inches, at Cameron, New Orleans, and 



Hon ma. La. 



Station. 



Jan. j Feb. 



Mar. 



Apr. May. 



June. 



July. 



Aug. 



Sept. 



Oct. 



Nov. 



Dec. 



An- 

 nual. 



Cameron 



New Orleans 



Houma 



3.71 3.29 

 4.63 4.57 

 3.45 4.77 



3.23 

 5.30 

 3.45 



3.23 

 4.91 

 4.12 



3.70 

 3.88 

 3.58 



5.76 

 6.16 

 5.91 



7.70 

 6.47 

 9.23 



3.98 



5.61 

 6.35 



5.32 



4.81 

 5.92 



2.94 

 2.93 

 3.04 



3.91 



3.79 

 2.68 



3.36 

 4.46 

 4.31 



50.13 

 57.52 

 56.81 



The rainfall in this section is more or less tropical in character, especially 

 in the summer months. The rains nearly always are purely local in the 

 summer, and the amount, both daily and monthly, may vary greatly for sta- 

 tions separated by only a few miles. Thus we have a monthly total in August, 

 1911, of 28.5 inches at Donaldsonville, at the northern edge of this section, and 

 but 12.27 inches at Houma. only about 40 miles away. The following table, 

 compiled from the daily rainfall records of the United States Weather Bureau 

 at New Orleans, from 1871 to 1916, gives the average number of storms per 

 year of given intensities : 



Average yearly numoer of storms of given intensities. 

 (Based on daily rainfall records of the IT. S. Weather Bureau for New Orleans, La., 1871 to 1916, inclusive.) 





Average number of storms per year. 



Total 

 rain- 

 fall. 



1- 

 day 

 pe- 

 riod. 



2- 

 day 



pe i 



nod. 



3- 1 4. 

 day day 

 pe- 1 pe- 

 riod. | riod. 



5- 



day 

 pe- 

 riod. 



6- 

 day 



P^ 

 nod. 



7- 



day 

 pe- 

 riod. 



8- 

 day 



P S 

 nod. 



9- 



day 

 pe- 

 nod. 



10- 

 day 

 pe- 

 nod. 



11- 

 day 

 pe- 

 riod. 



12- 

 day 



P^ 

 nod. 



13- 

 day 



P e ; 



nod. 



14- 

 day 

 pe- 

 nod. 



15- 

 day 



PS 

 nod. 



3 inches . 



1.652 

 .673 

 .326 

 .196 

 .153 

 .109 

 .022 



2.998 

 1.372 

 .674 

 .369 

 .217 

 .153 

 .065 



3.972 



1.828 

 .847 

 .456 

 .304 

 .153 

 .087 

 .043 

 .022 





















_.„1 





2.172 

 1.021 

 .630 

 .345 

























L130 



.762 

 .391 























0.848 

 .479 























0.587 





















. 217 - 283 



.283 

 .196 

 .153 

 .065 

 .065 

 .022 

 .022 

 .022 



.326 

 .196 

 .196 

 .087 

 .087 

 .043 

 .022 

 .022 



0.270 

 .240 

 .196 

 .130 

 .087 

 .043 



















.109 

 .065 

 .043 



.153 

 .109 

 .065 



.043 



0.304 

 .240 

 .130 

 .087 

 .043 

















0.261 

 .174 

 .087 

 .043 

 .022 

 .022 

















0.196 

















.087 



0.109 









13 inches 











.043 .043 

 .022 .022 

 .022 .022 



0.087 

 .065 

 .043 







14 inches 













.022 ' .022 

 .022 .022 



0.065 

 .043 





15 inches 











0.043 





1 



1 1" 















HEALTH CONDITIONS. 



Of the healthfulness of this climate the Bureau of Soils says : 1 



A most serious check to the attraction of a desirable class of immigrants 

 to this section is the impression which has gotten abroad as to its unhealth- 

 fulness. That this idea had some foundation in the past can not be denied, 

 but such a condemnation can not now be applied to the State as a whole or to 

 this particular vicinity. The records of the medical board of New Orleans 

 show that the city has an excellent health record for a city of its size. * * * 



1 U. S. Dept. Agr., Field Operations of the Bureau of Soils, 1903, pp. 443, 444. 



