Sorghums : sure money crops . ecrease inthe average annual precipitation in Kansas since whitemen first occupied it, is a question that has been the sub-ject of much bitter controversy in some quarters and onethat might make the future of the state very uncertain,were it not that, fortunately, accurate records of precip-itation have been kept at numerous places in the statefor periods ranging from 30 to 76 years. In order to get information on this subject that wasmore definite than the recollection of impressions of theoldest inhabitant, all the precipitation records in thestate that extend b
Sorghums : sure money crops . ecrease inthe average annual precipitation in Kansas since whitemen first occupied it, is a question that has been the sub-ject of much bitter controversy in some quarters and onethat might make the future of the state very uncertain,were it not that, fortunately, accurate records of precip-itation have been kept at numerous places in the statefor periods ranging from 30 to 76 years. In order to get information on this subject that wasmore definite than the recollection of impressions of theoldest inhabitant, all the precipitation records in thestate that extend back any considerable number of yearshave been divided in the middle and the averages for thelast half of each record have been compared with theaverages for the first half. On the accompanying map. Fig. C, the portions ofthe state where the long records show a decrease in theaverage precipitation are white, and where they showan increase the map is shaded. The figures pre-ceded by a minus sign show the average decrease in the. SORGHUM AREAS DEFINED 133 precipitation in the last half of the record, and the figureswith a plus mark before them show the average increasein the last half. This map seems to show that there has been a de-crease in the average precipitation in the north centraland western portions of Kansas and an increase in thesouth central and the eastern portion. In either casethe increase or decrease has been so small that no impor-tance can be attached to it, and there is no reason thatthe next 30 years may not show a reversal of conditions. While it would certainly be more desirable to haveall the records used on this map extend back to the sameyear, the final result seems to justify the method anddemonstrate the futility of trying to prove any pro-gressive change in the precipitation that has fallen inKansas in the past 40 years. It might also be said in this connection that it hasnot been possible to compile any reliable data showingthat the rainfall in Kansas
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectsorghum, bookyear1914
