9 



There were only eight days during the mouth when the temperature 

 was above 32 degrees. 



A large number of seeds were sown during the month of October, 

 1898, and others during the January following, but as a result of the 

 extreme cold weather during 1^'ebruary, everything that had come up 

 was killed by March 1. 



The month of January was very dry. Tlie following table shows the 

 precipitation during that month: 



'Jotal for the month, 0..")1 inch. 



I>uring February there was only 0. 01 inch of rain, which fell on the 

 4th, and during March there was only 0. 04 inch, which fell on the lltli. 

 The ground in the pastures was not in condition to be harrowed, and 

 the grass garden could not be plowed and made ready to receive 

 seeds until April. During that month the rainfall was about normal 

 for the season. The following table shows the precipitation during this 

 month: 



Date. 



Inch. 



Date. 



Inch. 



Apr. 



Apr. 20 0. 38 



21 1 .30 



oo I .40 



'total lor the month. 2.96 inches. 



The rain on April 5 and put the pasture ground in fair condition 

 for harrowing, and on April 10 that work was begun and continued, 

 with some interruptions, until completed. 



During the autumn of 1898 the 10 acres in the grass garden had been 

 plowed deep with a turning plow. March 15 following, notwithstand- 

 ing the dry weather, the ground was in fair condition; as a result of 

 the freezing during February it was easily pulverized, but was very 

 cold and contained but little moisture. However, in anticipation of 

 rain, the work of seed planting was begun March 15 and continued 

 tlirough April until May 4, Many of the seeds planted in March did 

 not germinate at all, which was most probably due to the fact tliat the 

 ground was very cold and the vitality of the seed thereby destroyed. 

 The seeds that did germinate made a very vigorous growth. Tlu^ same 

 conditions, however, that induced such growth also induced a corre- 

 sponding growth of weeds. The grass garden was laid oft' in plots 20 



