METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 247 



The average temperatures for January' and February were 

 slightly below the normal for those months as recorded at 

 Storrs, the weather for February being especially cold. The 

 temperature for March was about normal while April and May 

 were cool and wet. Frosts were not very damaging, yet the 

 generally cool weather checked the growth of most of the crops. 

 The last killing frost occurred May 6, although the damage was 

 not very general. June was warm and generally favorable for 

 all crops. The temperature for July was above the normal, 

 while that in August was about the average for the month. 

 Frost held off well in the fall, the first to do much damage oc- 

 curring September 26, thus giving a growing season of 142 

 days from the last killing frost in the spring. October and 

 November were generally mild and especially favorable for 

 harvesting crops and for fall plowing. 



The following general review of the crop season, given in 

 the annual summary of the Climate and Crop Service of the 

 United States Weather Bureau for New England, although 

 pertaining to the whole section, will, in the main, apply very 

 well to the conditions in Connecticut. 



REVIEW OF THE CROP SEASON. 



The crop season of igoi opened fully as early as usual and under very 

 favorable conditions. During the third decade of March the snow disappeared 

 and the frost left the ground over the southern half of the section, but in the 

 northern portion there was much snow at the close of the month, ranging from 

 broken patches in the fields to four feet in the wooded lands and the mountains. 

 The large amount of precipitation during March, together with the melting of 

 the accumulated snow, furnished an abundance of water, and the soil was in 

 excellent condition at the opening of the crop season as regarded moisture. 

 The reports of the crop correspondents showed that winter grain and grass had 

 wintered well, and that fruit buds were in a healthy condition. By the close of 

 March plowing and gardening were in operation in Rhode Island and southern 

 Connecticut. Growing crops, grass and winter grain, made good progress dur- 

 ing April, and, at the close of the month, pastures and meadow fields were 

 green and vigorous even in the most northern sections of the district,- and an 

 abundant hay crop seemed assured. Much early gardening was done during 

 this month in all parts of the New England States. But owing to the wet con- 

 dition of the soil, especially in the low lands, spring seeding and general plant- 

 ing were delayed and were backward. The season was unfavorable to maple 

 sugar and this crop was nearly a failure, the even temperature and the absence 

 of sunshine being unfavorable to a free flowing of the sugar sap. Excepting 

 grass and winter grain, crops were considered backward at the close of April. 

 May, generally speaking, was not a good month for farming interests. There 



