THE DROUGHTS OF WESTERN TEXAS.
The interesting article on the climatology of Texas by Professor Forshey, in the
Texas ALMANAC for 1860, furnishes some striking facts and strong evidence
deduced from the prevailing winds, etc., that, west of longitude 970, Western Texas
is liable to suffer from dry seasons. There are, nevertheless, many of the oldest
farmers who will maintain that, with proper cultivation, especially with early planting
and deep plowing, fair average crops can be secured throughout the West. And,
indeed, it is admitted on all hands, that,.for all the small cereals, such as wheat, rye,
barley, etc., Western Texas is exceedingly favorable, as these crops are secured
before the dry weather usually sets in, while for stock-raising, cattle, horses, mules,
sheep, etc., Western Texas is unrivaled by any other country in the world.
While on this subject we should not omit to notice an article on the climate of
Texas, published some year or two since, and written by a scientific German, named
Mr. J. Kuechler, of Gillespie county. Mr. Kuechler has compiled a table giving the
seasons of Western Texas for one hundred and thirty years past. He makes up his
table from an examination of the rings in the growth of aged trees. By long and
careful study of the subject, he believes these rings or annual growths furnish unmis-
takable indications whether the year of the growth was wet or dry. By examining
the rings in post-oaks reaching the age of two hundred years, his table has been
formed, extending over one hundred and thirty years back, during which long period
he finds but nineteen dry years, eleven very dry, and twelve extremely dry; while
there were, during the same period, twenty-two average years, eleven wet years, and
fifty-nine very wet years., The exceedingly dry years, like those we have recently
had, were in succession from 1806 to 1811, and from 1770 to 1776. Mr. Kuechler
concludes'that the recent dry years should be no discouragement to farmers, for
that, taking the average, Western Texas is favored with seasons as favorable to
agriculture as other countries, without irrigation. Mr. Affleck, speaking on this
subject, (and we deem him good authority,) remarks, that even during our extremely
dry seasons, the crops would have suffered but little, and would have been nearly
an average, but for the late spring frosts of those years. It has often been remarked,
and we believe with truth, that the soil of Western Texas is better suited to with-
stand protracted droughts than that of almostany other country. In fact, we have
often heard it remarked that fair crops of corn have been made by early planting
on the river lands, without a drop of rain. We conclude with the following abstract
from Mr. Kuechler's interesting table:
1725-27, ...................very wet.
1728-29,........................dry.
1730, ...........  .......very wet.
1731-32, ....................dry.
1733-38, ...................very good.
1739-41, .......................dry.
1742-57, ...................very wet.
1758, ........................average.
1759-61, ....................very dry.
1762-63,................ ........wet.
1764 .............  .....very dry.
1765-70, ...................very wet.
1771-76, .............. extremely dry.
1777-78 ....................average.
1779-80, ........................wet.
1781-83, .....................average.
1784-87,.....................wet.
1788-90, ............... .... . .......dry.
1791-92,....  ...............average.
1793-98, ...................very wet.
1799,.....................very  dry.
1800-5, ....................very  wet.
1806-11,.................extra dry.
1812-18, ...................very wet.
1819,........................ average.
1820, .............. .......very dry.
1821,......................very  wet.
1822-24,...................very dry.
1825-26, .................. ..average.
1827-31,.............  .....very wet.
1832, ....,................average.
1833-, ....................very wet.
1837,...........................dry.
1838,...   ................average.
1839-40, ................... very wet.
1841, ........................ ...dry.
1842,.......................average.
1843-44, .......................dry.
1845-46, .............  ......very dry.
1847,..........................dry.
1848, .................. ....very wet.
1849-50,.................. ......wet.
1851-54, ...................average.
1855-58 .........................dry.
187

Print / Share This Page

Permanent URL (This Page)

Univesal Viewer

International Image Interoperability Framework (This Page)