I find II winters in 43 in which the temperature did not fall below zero 

 in St. Louis, and three times it fell below — 20°. 



The coldest winters I have experienced here, were those of 1855-6, with 

 26°. 4; 1871-2, with 29°.i ; 1872-3, with 26°. 3, and 1874-5, with 26°.9. Thus 

 we have had some of the warmest and some of the coldest winters within 

 the last seven years. 



Mr. Nipher presented a rain-chart of the State for February, 

 1878. 



March 18, 1878. 



The President in the chair. Twelve members present. 



The Corresponding Secretary read a letter from Mr. J. Coch- 

 rane, of Havana, Ills., relating to large mounds located near Ha- 

 vana. The writer gave a general description of the location and 

 size of the mounds. 



Dr. Sander gave some account of the explorations of Dr. Ger- 

 hard Rohlfs. 



Dr. Engelmann presented a chart showing his observations for 

 43 years, on the advancement of spring as shown in the develop- 

 ment of vegetation. 



Among the plants observed were the American elm, soft maple, apricot, 

 peach, apple, crab-apple, quince, black locust, catalpa, and the wheat and 

 oat harvests. The observations showed that, thus far, the present spring 

 is the earliest for 45 years. The springs nearest the present were those of 

 1842, '45, '51, '58, and '71. Sometimes early development was checked by 

 later frosts, a remarkable instance of which occurred in 1834 (April 27th), 

 when apples as large as marbles, and new shoots of hickory and oak, sev- 

 eral inches in length, were killed upon the trees. 



While the spring of 1842 was one of the earliest, that of 1843 was one of 

 the latest. In these two years, the time of wheat harvest shows a differ- 

 ence of about three weeks. 



Afril I, 1878. 



The President in the chair. Twelve members present. 

 Mr. Collet presented the Academy with a copy of Knapp's 

 Chemical Technology. 



