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Show tfrJiir ideal from other editors From The Vista Press, Vista, California: Year in and year out following a wee bit of precipitation the telephone rings end someone requests our rainfall figures for the past 24 hours. We oblige, then the one-sided argument begins. The person calling has figures which do not correspond with those given, and he is terribly unhappy. Considerable explanation about geographic location, and that all rain showers are not uniform is of no avail. His reading does not coincide with ours and we have made a terrible mistake. We do not read our gauge correctly. We heartily apologize to these Individuals for reading our government govern-ment gauge incorrectly, which has been measured in hundreths of an Inch with a standard scale. In most cases the one who wishes to argue about the figures finally admits ad-mits that he is using a coffee can with a yardstick as a means of rainfall measurement. We will not argue with the coffee can. but we will argue about using the yardstick it has too much displacement, and therefore brings forth more rainfall than that measured meas-ured by a neighbor who uses a steel rule in a coffee can. This is cot fair to the neighbor. Height of the coffee cans make little difference, although the taller tall-er ones hold more rainfall. One of the greatest mistakes of these coffee cof-fee can measurers is to purchase the wrong brand of coffee in the first place. It is a well known fact that coffee with chickory added has a bitter, puckery effect, and when its container is used as a rain gauge it causes the precipitation precipi-tation to draw within itself with resultant less rainfall to measure. Vacuum packed tins might also cause similar results. Then there is the color of the can itself, and there is no doubt but it may have considerable to do with the quantity of rainfall measured. For instance should a blue can be in use at present, it has been suggested that it be substituted sub-stituted with a green or red one. This may make considerable difference dif-ference in final measurement, due to the color attracting or repelling heat. This will be a great boone to mankind since we have not en-Joyed en-Joyed sufficient moisture for several sev-eral years, and any method by which we may build up our rainfall rain-fall record will assist materially. Here is a wonderful opportunity for someone to make a name for himself and do a great favor for bJs (ellowmea |