429 

 CLIMATE OF SOUTHWESTEEN AEKANSAS. 



The following- tables of spring and autumn frosts, and of rain-fall, at 

 Washington, Arkansas, in latitude 33° 42' north, have been compiled 

 by Mr. J. R. Eakin, of that place, from the notes of the late Dr. N. D. 

 Smith. The first table shows the periods of latest spring and earliest 

 autumn frosts, from 1840 to 1807. Mr. Eakin remarks that his chief 

 purpose is to represent the commencement, length, and close of the 

 growing season of tender plants ; the season for hardy plants being 

 much longer. Frosts destructive to such hardier vegetation often do 

 not occur after the middle of February, and forest trees usually remain 

 green until late in November. In some seasons there has been no frost, 

 although the weather has been destructive to tender plants at certain 

 times in the spring. In such cases 32° of the thermometer, or a lower 

 temperature, htts been taken as equivalent to frost : ' 



Year. 



1840.. 

 1841. 

 1842. 

 1843. 

 1844. 

 1845. 

 1846. 

 1847. 

 1848. 

 1849. 

 18.10. 

 1851. 

 1852. 

 1853. 



Latest spring 

 frost. 



Marcli 30 

 March 23 

 March 15 

 April 1 - . 

 March 31 

 April?.. 

 April 13 

 March 27 

 April 1.. 

 April 16. 

 March 29 

 March 8 

 March 20 

 March 4. 



Earliest autnniii 

 frost. 



Octoher 3 . . . 

 October 23 . . 

 October 25 . . 

 October 31 . . 

 October 19 . . 

 October 12 . . 

 October 18 . . 

 October 25 . . 

 November 1. 

 November 27 

 October 26 . . 

 November 6. 

 November 12 

 November 14 



Latest spring 

 frost. 



Earliest aatumn 

 frost. 



March 11 . 

 March 31 . 

 March 14. 

 April 19.. 

 March 9.. 

 April 17.. 

 March 28. 

 March 21 . 

 March 24 . 

 March 4.. 

 ' March 22 . 

 March 11. 

 April 8 . . . 

 April 6 



November 13. 

 October 24 . . . 

 October 16 . . . 

 November 9. . 

 November 8.. 

 October 28 . . . 

 October 14 . . . 

 October 23 . . . 

 October 26 . . . 

 October 24 . . . 

 ;November21. 

 November 3 . 

 November 15. 



Length of 

 growing 

 season. 



Days. 

 247 

 207 

 216 

 204 

 244 

 194 

 200 

 216 

 216 

 234 

 244 

 237 

 221 



The rain-fall, in inches, for the different mouths of the year, as calcu- 

 lated from observations continued during twenty years, is as foUows : 



Month. 



January . 

 February 

 March . . . 



April 



May 



Juno 



Month. 



July 



August . . . 

 September 

 October . . . 

 November 

 December. 



19.5 

 1.5.9 

 8.3 

 9.4 

 11.3 

 9.8 



1.2 



0.7 

 0.6 

 0.8 

 1.2 

 1.6 



4.94 

 3.97 

 3.48 

 3.93 

 4.73 

 4.45 



In this period of twenty years, taking the average of the same date 

 each year, only two days, January 18, 19, show a mean temperature be- 

 low 4*0°, and only nine days a mean temperature above 80°, viz : July 

 8, 14, 15, 10, 17, 25, 28, 29, and Angust 17. These long-continued ob- 

 servations show that the coldest weather generally occurs about a 

 month after the winter solstice, and the warmest weather about a 

 month after the summer solstice. 



