116 KANSAS Academy of Sciencs. 



in the State was reduced to very small proportions. The abundant crops of oats, 

 hay, potatoes and other spring and autumn products gave the State of Kansas a 

 great advantage over some other States, which suffered from a more serious drouth, 

 without similar compensations. 



Other characteristics of the year were, the small percentage of cloudiness, the 

 moderate wind-velocity, and the astonishingly low barometer of February 3d (the 

 lowest barometric reading on our twenty-years record). 



TEMPEBATUBB. 



Mean temperature of the year, 53.12°, which is .20° above the mean of the nine- 

 teen preceding years. The highest temperature was 102°, on July 17th; the lowest 

 was 20° below zero, on the 10th of January, giving a range of 122°. Mean, at 7 a. m., 

 47.56°; at 2 p.m., 61.87°; at 9 p.m., 51.52°. 



Mean temperature of the winter months, 26.35°, which is 2.56° below the average 

 winter temperature; of the spring, 56.32°, which is 2.67° above the average; of the 

 summer, 75.77°, which is .11° below the average; of the autumn, 54.04:°, which is .09° 

 above the average. 



The warmest month of the year was July, wiih mean temperature 79.79°; the 

 warmest week was July 11th to 17th, mean 86.75°; the warmest day was July 17th, 

 mean 89.50°. The mercury reached or exceeded 90° on 40 days, (just the average 

 number,) viz.: one in May, 5 in June, 18 in July, 10 in August, and 6 in September. 

 There was only one day on which the temperature reached 100° — July 17th. 



The coldest month was January, with mean temperature 20.48°; the coldest week 

 was January 1st to 7th, mean 4.36° above zero; the coldest day was January 8th, 

 mean 7.13° below zero. The mercury fell below zero on 16 days, of which 9 were in 

 January, 3 in February, and 4 in December. 



The last hoar frost of spring was on April 24th; the first hoar frost of autumn 

 was on October 12th; giving an interval of 171 days, or nearly six months, entirely 

 without frost. This is 16 days longer than the average interval. 



The last severe frost of spring was on April 4th; the first severe frost of autumn 

 was on the 24th of October; giving an interval of 203 days, or nearly 7 months, 

 without severe frost. The average interval is 198 days. No frosts during spring 

 and autumn caused damage to crops of grain and fruit; but the low temperatures 

 of January were seriously destructive to the buds of budded varieties of peaches. 



BAIN. 



The entire rainfall, including melted snow, was 33.84 inches, which is only .86 

 inch below the annual average. Either rain or snow, or both, in measurable quan 

 titles, fell on 91 days — 13 less than the average. On 16 other days rain or snow fell 

 in quantity too small for measurement. 



The number of thunder showers was 23. There was but one light hail storm 

 during the year. 



SNOW. 



The entire depth of snow was 25 inches, which is 3.15 inches above the average. 



Of this amount, 9 inches fell in January, 6 inches in February, 6 inches in March, 

 one inch in November, and 3 inches in December. Snow fell on 28 days, on 7 of 

 which the quantity was too small for measurement. The last snow of spring was 

 on April 22d. The first snow of autumn was on November 23d — 15 days later than 

 the average date. 



FACE OF THE SKY. 



The mean cloudiness of the year was 40.91 per cent., which is 3.46 per cent, below 

 the average. The number of clear days (less than one-third cloudy) was 192; half- 

 clear (from one to two-thirds cloudy), 86; cloudy (more than two-thirds), 87. There 



