326 



BOTANICAL SIKVKY OK DISMAL SWAMP REGION. 



LATEST AND EARLIEST FROSTS. 



The dat.es of the latest killing frost in spring and the earliest in 

 autumn are unquestionably an important factor in the life history 

 of plants of the temperate zones, especially of cultivated plants. 

 These two dates form the most easily recognizable, although not the 

 precise limits of the growing period of most plants, or, to speak more 

 exactly, of their period of greatest physiological activity. 



The average dates of latest and earliest killing frosts at the four 

 stations are : 



Station 



Latest Earliest 

 frost in frost in 

 spring:, autumn. 



Norfolk Mar. 36 Nov. 14 



Cape Henry __ Mar. 19 i Do. 



Hatteras Feb 25 Dec 13 



Wilmington _ I Mar. 15 I Nov. 13 



The absolute dates of latest and earliest frosts during the period 

 covered by observations are: 



Station- 



Latest frost Earliest frost 

 in spring. in autumn. 



Norfolk.. : .... Apr. 36, 1888 ! Oct. 10,1895 



Cape Henry __. A pr. 19,1875 Nov. 11.1894 



f ; l . , , t '. l ' M - ■-- Apr. 5,188] Nov. 14,189(1 



Wilmington ___ A pr. 31,18117 Oct, 13,1888 



The following table gives the actual dates of latest and of earliest 

 killing frost of each year during the period of observation: 



Year. 



1878 



1874 



187". 



1876 



1877 



1878 



1879 



1880 



1881 



1883 



1883 



1884 __ 



1885 



I88(i 



1887. 



1888. „_ 



1! 



4 



30 



26 



1889 ! Mar. 13 



18110 . 



1801 



1893 



1893 



1894 



.1895 



1896 



1897 



1898 



Norfolk. 

 Latest. Earliest. 



Apr. 

 A pr. 

 Mar. 

 Miu- 

 Mar. 

 Mar. 

 Apr. 

 Aj>r. 

 Feb. 

 Mar. 

 Mar. 

 Apr. 

 Mar. 

 Apr 

 Apr 



Mar. 

 Mar. 

 Mar. 

 Mar. 

 Mar. 

 Mar. 

 Apr 

 Apr. 

 Apr. 



Nov. 14 

 Nov. ;;o 

 Nov. 18 

 Oct. 15 

 Nov. HO 

 Oct. 31 

 Nov. I! 

 Nov. 16 

 Nov. 17 

 Nov. 15 

 Nov. m 

 Nov. 31 

 Dec. 3 

 Nov. s 

 Nov. ti 

 Nov. 28 

 Nov. 7 

 Nov. 1 

 Nov. 18 

 Nov. 6 

 Nov 

 Nov 

 Oct. 

 Nov 

 Nov 



IH 



Cape Henry. 



Latest. 



Mar. 25 

 Apr. l!i 

 Mar. 22 

 Mar. 30 

 Mar. 35 

 Mar. ti 

 Mar. 35 

 Mar. 39 

 Feb. 5 

 Mar. 25 

 Mar. 6 

 Feb. 34 

 Mar. 18 



Earliest 



ti , Nov. 31 



Mar. 17 

 Mar. 16 

 Mar. 32 



Mar. 30 

 Mar. 34 

 Feb. 3 

 Mar. 6 



Nov. 

 Mo 

 Nov. 

 Nov. 

 Dec. 

 Nov. 

 Nov. 

 Nov. 

 Nov. 

 Dec. 

 Dec. 

 Dec. 

 N o v 



Nov. 

 do 

 Xov. 

 Nov. 

 Dec. 

 Nov. 

 Nov. 

 Nov. 

 Nov. 

 Nov. 



14 



Hatteras. 



Latest. Earliest. 



Apr. 5 

 Jan. 4 

 Mar. 33 

 !>- Mar 5 

 3 Feb. 21 

 Feb S 

 .. Jan. 13 

 .... Mar. 7 

 39 I Feb. 35 

 ... Mar. 16 

 19 | Mar. 15 

 33 Mar lit 

 7 I Jan. 26 

 11 I Mar. 3S 

 31 Feb. 35 

 14 Mar. 14 

 24 Feb. 28 

 30 i Feb. 3 



Wilmington. 

 Latest. Earliest. 



Nov. 36 

 Dee. 16 

 Dec. 19 

 Dec. 27 

 Dec. 2 

 Dec. 29 

 Dec. 14 



"Nov.'h 

 Nov. 30 

 Nov. 34 

 Nov. 25 



Dec L'S 



Nov. 32 

 Dec. 6 

 Dec. 34 



Nov. 27 



Mar. 14 

 Apr. lil 

 Mar. 4 

 Mar. 18 

 Feb. 19 

 Apr. 4 

 Feb. lti 

 Mar - 

 Jan. 23 

 Mar ■;:; 

 Mar. 4 

 Mar. 34 

 Mar. :s 

 Feb. 28 

 Mar. 10 

 Fc b :.'ii 

 Apr. 20 

 Mar. 15 

 Apr. lti 

 Mar. 20 

 Mar. 31 

 Mar. 22 

 Apr. 5 

 Apr. 21 

 Apr. 8 



Nov. 14 

 Dec. 1 

 Nov. 12 

 Nov. 2rt 

 Nov. 12 

 Nov. 1 

 Nov. 3 

 Nov. lti 

 Nov. 34 

 Nov. 20 

 Nov. 13 

 Oct. 34 

 Nov. 25 

 Nov. 8 

 Dec. 2 

 Oct. 13 

 Nov. 29 

 Nov. 1 

 Oct. 29 

 Oct. 21 

 Nov. 17 

 Nov. 7 

 Nov. 21 

 Dec. I 

 Nov. 13 

 Nov. 21 



