THE SOUTHWEST 



647 



Many health-seekers spend most of 

 their money in raih-oad fare to reach the 

 desired resorts. Physicians do a great 

 wrong to patients in sending them so far 

 from home, friends, and care without 

 means to provide suitable quarters, nour- 

 ishment, and attention to sustain them 

 while making their fight against death. 



It is found that different climatic con- 

 ditions have important bearing, some 

 persons deriving greater benefit from the 

 dry cool highlands, while others prefer 

 the lower deserts or the moister seacoast. 

 In most cases the high summer tempera- 

 ture of the lowlands is too debilitating, 

 and it is necessary to go into the high- 

 lands for the summer. 



The Government has established a 

 marine hospital at Fort Stanton and an 

 army and navy hospital for consump- 

 tives at Fort Bayard, both in the high- 

 lands of New Mexico. 



CIvIMATK 



The climate of the Southwest presents 

 considerable variety, but in all the lower 

 lands the winters are delightfully mild, 

 and everywhere blue sky is in evidence 

 for more than 300 days in the year. The 

 summers are warm ; in the southern des- 



ert area they are decidedly hot for sev- 

 eral months, but the dry air even then is 

 much more endurable than the sultry 

 summer weather of the eastern and cen- 

 tral states. Sunstroke is unknown, and 

 laborers continue their work without dis- 

 tress. 



While the temperature in the deserts 

 of southern California and Arizona often 

 rises to 120 degrees in the shade, if per- 

 spiration is sustained by plenty of water, 

 the average person suffers no great in- 

 convenience. Most of the nights are de- 

 cidedly cool excepting in the lower lands 

 farthest to the south. 



The conditions in the deserts are well 

 illustrated by the following table of 

 monthly temperatures and rainfall at 

 four typical desert stations. 



On the higher lands of Arizona and 

 New Mexico the summer vv^eather is al- 

 together agreeable, and in southern Cali- 

 fornia west of the mountains the summer 

 temperatures are moderate owing to the 

 sea breezes which are nearly always in 

 motion. The table on page 650 gives the 

 average weather conditions, 1897-1909, 

 at Redlands, California, which is typical 

 of much of the coast region of southern 

 California. 



Temperatures and Rainfall in Desert Regions in the Southzvest. 





Fort Yuma. 





Phcenix. 





Tucson. 







Mohave. 





Max. 



Mill. 



Mean 



Max. 



Min. 



Mean 



Max. 



Min. 



Mean 



Max, 



Min. 



Mean 





temp. 



temp. 



rain- 

 fall. 



temp. 



temp. 



rain- 

 fall. 



temp. 



temp. 



rain- 

 fall. 



temp. 



temp. 



rain- 

 fall. 



Years observed . 



26 



26 



20 



17 



17 



22 



6 



6 



15 



5 



5 



26 













Inches. 











Inches. 











Indies. 











Inches. 



January 



81 



22 



.42 



87 



12 



.80 



80 



17 



79 



70 



16 



•95 



February 



91 



25 



.6r 



92 



19 



.70 



83 



17 



.90 



78 



20 



.92 



March 



100 



31 



.26 



97 



24 



.58 



92 



22 



.77 



83 



26 



•75 



April 



107 



38 



.07 



105 



30 



•30 



30 



95 



.28 



100 



35 



•17 



May 



I 12 



44 



.04 



i'3 



35 



.13 



102 



32 



. 14 



102 



38 



•03 



June 



117 



52 



T. 



119 



33 



. 10 



I J2 



48 



.26 



107 



48 



•05 



July 



118 



61 



.14 



116 



46 



1.03 



108 



59 



2 .40 



115 



64 



.08 



August 



115 



60 



•35 



116 



49 



.88 



109 



57 



2 .60 



112 



57 



.04 



September 



H3 



50 



.15 



114 



39 



.64 



107 



49 



1. 16 



104 



45 



.07 



October 



108 



41 



.28 



105 



34 



.37 



98 



29 



.64 



93 



40 



.25 



November 





31 



.29 



97 



24 



•54 



90 



21 



.8[ 



84 



27 



.40 



December 



83 



24 



.46 



95 



18 



.86 



83 



10 



1 .00 



70 



15 



1.26 



Year 



118 



22 



2.84* 



119 



12 



6.93 



112 



10 



11.74 



115 



15 



4.97 



* 26 years' observation. 



