“Rain follows the plow” was the conventional name for a now-debunked theory of climatology that was popular throughout the American West during the late 19th century. According to the theory, increased human settlement in the region would result in increased rainfall over time, rendering the land more fertile and lush as the population increased. As later historical records of rainfall would indicate, the theory was based on faulty evidence arising from brief climatological fluctuations. The theory was later refuted by climatologists and is now regarded as a serious error–and a major cause of the great Dust Bowl.
When the “rain follows the plow” theory was dismissed, it was replaced by the idea that increased vibrations in the atmosphere–due to the human activity below–created additional clouds, from which rain fell. So profound was this idea, farmers during the great Dust Bowl took to tying sticks of lighted dynamite to kites in hopes that the vibrations would bring rain.
In the United States, the development of the water-pumping windmill was the major breakthrough which allowed Great Plains farmers and ranchers to bring water up from underground aquifers–thus making them less dependent upon the weather.
The Aermotor Windmill Company introduced its first windmill in 1888. It is the last and only windmill company still in existence in the U.S.
TAGS: Dust Bowl
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