Two Years in Oregon

by Wallis Nash

The result of the late setting in of the rains in the fall of 1880 was that the grass was very late in resuming its growth, and consequently feed for stock during the early part of the winter of 1880-'81 was very scanty. But, perhaps, it is better to give the number of snowy and rainy days annually occurring, as that is what at any rate the feminine part of the families of intending emigrants desire to know. During 1879, from May to December, there were at Corvallis thirty-five rainy days and five snowy. During 1880 there were sixty-nine rainy days and nine snowy. In these figures are taken in several days which were only showery at intervals, and there are omitted several days when a slight shower or two fell, with bright sun in between, but which it would not be fair to call rainy days. But the distribution of the rain is of more consequence, both to the farmer and to the mere resident, than the aggregate. So I will set out the rainy and snowy days for the several months, at Corvallis:

1879.—From May 17th to 31st, 5; June, 1; July, 2; August, 3; September, 4; October, 2; November, 7; December, 11, and 5 snowy.

1880.—January, 10, and 3 snowy; February, 5, and 2 snowy; March, 5, and 3 snowy; April, 10; May, 8; June, 2; July, 1; August, 2; September, 4; October, 5; November, 5; December, 12, and 1 snowy.

1881.—January, 9 rainy, and 2 snowy; February, 16, 1 snowy; March, 5 showery, no steady rain.

At Eola, near Salem, about forty miles north of this, the figures differ slightly, as will be seen from the following table. But this is an average of the seven years, from 1871 to 1878:

MONTHS.	Number of rainy days.	Snowy days.	Rainfall, in inches.
January	14·6	1·8	5·1
February	14·4	·6	5·7
March	17·4	·6	6·1
April	11·5	·28	3·1
May	9·5	0	2·0
June	5·	0	1·2
July	1·8	0	·24
August	2·1	0	·14
September	3·4	0	·78
October	7·4	0	2·93
November	12·2	·58	5·56
December	12·5	1	5·13

TEMPERATURE.The next question is as to temperature. The following figures speak for themselves—the highest and lowest temperature in each month, and the monthly range, reported by the United States Signal-Service Station, Portland, Oregon:

	1874.			1875.			1876.
MONTHS.	Highest	Lowest	Range	Highest	Lowest	Range	Highest	Lowest	Range
January	56°	26°	30°	53°	3°	50°	58°	20°	38°
February	60	31	29	54	24	30	59	32	27
March	65	33	32	55	34	21	59	33	26
April	77	37	40	83	28	55	67	33	34
May	83	43	40	75	40	35	82	36	46
June	82	45	37	82	39	43	99	45	54
July	88	49	39	95·5	46	49·5	90	49	41
August	84	46	38	88	46	42	84	43	51
September	88·5	42	46	86	44	42	90	44	46
October	77	32	45	78	36	42	79	42	37
November	63	27	36	63	28	35	63	34	29
December	57	31	26	63	33	30	56	24	32

For comparison's sake we give a similar table for 1878, 1879, and 1880, kept at the Corvallis Agricultural College:

	1878.			1879.			1880.
MONTHS.	Highest	Lowest	Range	Highest	Lowest	Range	Highest	Lowest	Range
January	55°	20°	35°	46°	20°	26°	50°	24°	26
February	60	34	26	52	25	27	44	25	19
March	67	32	35	66	32	34	54	24	30
April	71	31	40	67	32	35	76	29	47
May	80	34	46	72	36	36	72	32	40
June	92	42	50	73	42	31	85	40	45
July	79	53	26	90	45	45	81	42	39
August	81	52	29	83	43	40	84	38	42
September	73	38	35	84	42	42	80	38	42
October	61	32	29	64	28	36	68	28	40
November	55	30	25	55	18	37	56	12	44
December	54	19	35	56	8	48	56	20	36