8 
sandbar willow are found growing naturally in the sandhills of 
Kansas and Nebraska, which is evidence that good conditions of soil 
moisture exist. The sandhills, therefore, are favorable localities for 
tree planting. eS 
CLIM : 
The climate of western Kansas 1s ordinarily classified as subhumid 
or semiarid. Its chief characteristics are those common throughout 
the Great Plains. The average annual precipitation is sufficient for 
paying crops. The distribution, however, is subject to great fluctua- 
tions. The summer rainfall comes mostly from local thunderstorms, 
whose erratic courses may or may not overlap. Consequently one 
locality often receives enough rain during the season, while another a 
few miles away suffers From drought. 
There is also a marked tendency to a succession of wet and dry sea- 
sons over the entire region. This is well illustrated by comparing 
the records at Dodge City for 1883 and 1884 with those for 1893 and 
1894. It happens that there is a ten-year period in this case, but 
observations do not prove any regular periodicity. 
Annual precipitation at Dodge, Kans. 
| 
| Departure 
Year. | Inches. | from 
| | normal. 
| 
i elon eres aac eee se | 28250 ie ens 
S84 asa oee nee eee | 30.386 | + 8.98 |} 
io aan eerasa SACS Oane LO 5| 0526 
O94 ee he Aree eee 12.60 | — 7.78 
The wet years of 1883 and 1884 were largely responsible for the 
“boom,” which resulted in the rapid settling up of the country be- 
tween the years 1885 and 1887, while the dry seasons of ten years later 
caused wholesale depopulation. 
The average precipitation at the principal Weather Bureau sta- 
tions, with die number of years that the record has been kept, is given 
in the following table: 
Average annual precipitation. 
| | | 
Station. | Years. | Inches. || Station. | Years. | Inches. 
Wiel aCe. hace Se ee eee ae | 22 17. 42 | 13 Ch AU ee eemetas Soni eee | 10 20. 88 
ey Kale pe eee Be ee eo a Se 12 1435+ || Achilles 222cc sc aseare se ese al 10 20. 94 
Colby 2. Bh detect oe 11 172494 SPhillipsburce. sea | 11 21. 89 
Vir O Gas ea eee ea ae 10 18°83 || Medicine Lodge222-> >= 2:25----- | 10 23. 57 
1D ORG IRWIN -s-caagococuses = | 12 18592: Wl Pretty see a: Se epee eles ere ere ee 7 23.78 
GandemC@ityeee-2 see eee | 8 1959231 /8O Der lintee ace eee 10 23. 80 
DOGS COIL seen eee seen | 28 19. 84 || — 
Govetstea: cos ter Nea ie SB oa a7 Asveragen. 1s iat i alee eee 19. 78 
Mele woods sae | 10 20. 71 | 
| 
While the record at Dodge City is the only one covering a sufficient 
period to be considered approximately correct, the others are good 
[Cir. 161.] 
