CLIMATE OF THE SFAX KEGION. 



15 



Most localities in the southwestern portion of the United States 

 are characterized by a greater range of temperature than occurs at 

 Sfax, having colder winters and warmer summers. At Tucson, 

 Ariz., the monthly mean temperatures are much like those at Sfax, 

 except for May, June, July, and August, when the temperatures are 

 considerably higher at Tucson. The means of the maxima of the 

 spring and summer months are much higher at Tucson than at Sfax, 

 while the means of the minima are much lower at Tucson during the 

 nine months from September to May. The yearly mean of the 

 maxima is nearly 8 degrees higher, and the yearly mean of the 

 minima is 6^ degrees lower at Tucson than at Sfax. 



San Antonio, Tex., corresponds closely with Sfax in the mean tem- 

 peratures of all the months, except April, May, and June, when the 

 monthly means are considerably higher at San Antonio. The monthly 

 means of the maxima are uniformly somewhat higher at San An- 

 tonio, the difference being most marked for the months of April to 

 July. The monthly means of the minima at San Antonio are slightly 

 lower in autumn and winter but somewhat higher in spring and 

 summer than at Sfax. 



There is no evidence, however, that within wide limits temperature 

 is a factor of very great importance in olive culture. 



Table II shows the average monthly and annual precipitation at 

 Sfax : 



Table II. — Average monthly and annual precipitation at Sfax/ 1 



Month. 



Precipi- 

 tation. 



Month. 



Precipi- 

 tation. 



January __ _ _ _ . _. 



Inches. 

 0.97 

 1.17 

 0.70 

 1.25 

 0.58 

 0.08 

 0.04 



August _ - _ _ _ — 



Inches. 

 0.04 

 0.78 

 1.17 

 1.21 

 1.36 



February.— _ ._ 



September.- _ _ 



March. _ _ 



October _ _ _ 





November _ _ 



May_ _ _ _ 



December _ _ 



June _ _ 



Total annual__. _ 



July 



9.35 







a Based upon a period of fifteen years (1886 to 1900). The above data are taken from 

 G. Ginestous, Les Pluies en Tunisie, Dir. Gen. de l'Enseignm. Publ., Serv. Meteorol., ed. 

 2, pp.. 86, 87 (1901). 



If we compare the rainfall of Sfax with that of localities in the 

 southwestern United States, we find that San Diego and Fresno, 

 Cal., Tucson, Ariz., and El Paso, Tex., have practically the same 

 yearly total, while at San Antonio, Tex., the yearly total is about 

 three times as great, and at St. George, Utah, only about two-thirds 

 as great. In the distribution of the rainfall during the different 

 months of the year, San Diego and Fresno most nearly resemble 

 Sfax, while Tucson, El Paso, and San Antonio show a marked dif- 

 ference in their relatively heavy midsummer rainfall. Most of the 

 precipitation at Sfax occurs in the autumn, winter, and early spring, 



125 



