No. 4.] REPORT OF SECRETARY. xiii 



carried on continuously. A liffht fall of snow occurred on 

 the 20th and a low minimum temperature was experienced 

 on the 22d, but for the most part the ground was bare and 

 free from frost. The cyclonic storms were generally of 

 large area and marked energy, while the one which moved 

 from the south-west up across the Lakes and down the St. 

 Lawrence valley on the 25th and 26th was one of the most 

 severe ever experienced. It gave from fifty to seventy miles 

 of wind over New England. The rainfall was heaviest in 

 eastern districts, but wells and reservoirs were well filled 

 throughout the State. The Connecticut River overflowed 

 its banks during the heavy local rains. Winter grains had 

 entirely recovered from the effects of the drought, and the 

 month ended with them in better condition than the average 

 at the be<nnnin£ of winter. 



December, although having a higher mean temperature 

 than the normal in most sections of the State, gave conditions 

 unfavorable for fruit, winter crops and farm land in general. 

 There was very little snow at any time, and during the first 

 part of the month the ground froze and thawed frequently. 

 During the last half the weather was unusually mild ; ice 

 disappeared from ponds and reservoirs, and the frost came 

 out of the ground so that farm work could be carried on 

 without trouble. The ground was in a very open and 

 porous condition at the end of the month. The two storms 

 which passed down the St. Lawrence valley on the 26th— 

 27th and 30th-31st increased rapidly in energy, and both 

 gave heavy rain and tremendous winds throughout our dis- 

 trict. Considerable damage was done to fences, trees and 

 farm buildings. The fog on the morning of the 21st in the 

 vicinity of Boston was one of the most dense ever experi- 

 enced there. Shipping was practically tied up in the harbor, 

 and there were several accidents on the water. Trains on 

 all the roads entering the city were from one to two hours 

 late, and there were at least two collisions of trains, but 

 happily without serious results. Thunder was noted on the 

 15th and on the 26th. 



