HISTORY OF VERMONT. 65 



as produced six gallons of water. This snow 

 spread o\'er an area of sixteen square feet, and 

 had lain upon the ground fifty nine days. Upon 

 evaporating tlie water there was not more saline 

 matter, or cal carious earth, than in the former 

 experiment ; but a much larger quantity of oily 

 substance. The oil was of a dark brown colour 

 not inflammable, and weighed four pennyweights 

 and nine grains, troy weight. From the form- 

 er experiment, it appeals that the biggest part 

 of this oily matter accrued to the snow after it 

 had fallen upon the earth : And to this oily 

 substance, is probably to be imputed that dirty 

 or sooty appearance, which the snow is general- 

 ly observed to have, after it has begun to thaw. 

 If the snow w^iich I removed contained the 

 same quantity of oil as that which I examined, 

 a considerable nutriment might be preserved to 

 the earth from this cause. The depth of the 

 snow was thirty inches : The depth of that 

 quantity which I collected to melt, as nearly as 

 I could determine, was three inches. This 

 will give two ounces, tliree pennyweights and 

 eighteen grains, as the quantity of mucilaginous 

 matter, which would have descended upon six- 

 teen square feet of the earth, from the quantity 

 of snow^ that was then upon the ground. 



While the snow thus prevents all waste 

 from the surface of the earth, it performs anoth- 

 er and more important office, that of preserving 

 its internal heat. The internal parts of the 

 earth through the territory of Vermont, are 

 heated to about the forty fourth degree of Faren- 

 heit's thermometer. When the heat of the at» 

 mosphere is greater than this, a part .of that 



