222 STORRS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 
PART TOs 
Rainfall in Connecticut during the summer months, 1838-95. 







YEAR. _ June. | July. | August. | pips 
aes | =| 
| Inches. | Inches. | Inches. | 
1888, - - : : - - | 1.69) 2.05 4 5230 | 18 
Sy VgU eae stan Ae - | 3.83 (| 17.35 |) 3.02 aaa 
1890, - SA i mee 3 4.29 4.29 — 17 
18QI, - 2 : 227. 4.24 eo = 9 20 
1892, * - - - 2.65 3.80 4.350 26 
1893, - - - : - - | 2.65 2.12 4.69 22 
E804; 1400 . : 75 1.55 1. 81 oeees 
1895, - : ~ = | 2074.) 413600 54 
Average, - - eee aoe et 4.22 4.09 | re 

The rainfall for the growing season (May to September), 
were it evenly distributed through the different months, would 
usually prove sufficient for the needs of most crops, but from the 
above table it will be seen that the rainfall for different months 
is very irregular. While the water which accumulates in the 
soil during the portions of the year when crops are not grow- 
ing may be of some benefit to crops, yet a large part of the 
water used, especially where the ground water is quite a dis- 
tance below the surface, must come from the rain that falls 
while the crops are growing. A remarkable instance of the 
excess of rainfall which often occurs when crops need the 
water least, and a deficiency during those months when crops 
use water most largely, is shown in the rainfall data at Storrs, 
Conn., for the year 1895. ‘The five summer months, from 
May 1st to September 30th, showed a total rainfall of 14.5 
inches, while the two succeeding months, October and Novem- 
ber, gave a rainfall of 13.7 inches. 
There are very few seasons during some part of which a 
drouth of more or less severity does not occur. With crops 
like strawberries, raspberries, early potatoes, and onions, a lack 
of rain for two or three weeks may lessen the crop by one-half 
or more. A striking illustration of the injury caused by short 
drouths was seen in the season of 1895, on one of the farms 
in this State where irrigation was being put into operation for 
the first time. <A field of strawberries that had been set out in 
the spring of 1894 was on too high ground to be reached by 
water conducted from the storage pond. A field of the same 
size on another part of the farm was sprinkled from pipes 
ge 
