24 MASSACHUSETTS IloUTK ULTLUAL SOCIETY. 



brisk. Yi't the dost nu- 1 ion was very severe in a southerly direction 

 from Boston, as onr exliihitions testified throughout tlie season, l)y the 

 total absence of some of our best cultivators. 



July was 2.43° warmer than the average of years, and the amount ol 

 rain was 2.83 inches, or 5-6 of an inch below the average, thus reducing 

 the excess of rain of the season, on the 31st of July, to 8.22 inches. As 

 this excess was more than half of it prior to June, and as nearl}' all the 

 rain of July was prior to the 13th, the surface of the ground was quite 

 dry by the first of August. The following month was exceedingl}' 

 warm, being 3.44'' above the average, while the amount of rain was onlj' 

 1.89 inches, or 2.58 inches less than the average, thus i-educing the excess 

 of the .season to 0.G4 inches. This statement will api)l3Mo the vicinity 

 of Boston, but it will l)e borne in mind that there were several local 

 showers in August, the most remarkable of which was a flood of five 

 inches fall in 2^ hours, in Salem. Of course such exceptions would 

 greatly vary the results, but these exceptions were confined within 

 unusually narrow limits. 



Septenjber was again a warm month, being 1.38° above the average, 

 and in connection with this continued heat the rain fall was but 1.65 

 inches, or 1.77 inches below the average, and the large excess of June 

 was reduced, October 1st, to 3.87 inches. We see that though the total 

 amount for the year, up to October 1st, is nearly four inches above the 

 average, yet there had been a large falling olf during the unusually 

 hot months of July, August and September, amounting to more than 5i 

 inches below the average of these months. Evaporation being much 

 aijove the average the drought was consequently verj' severe, causing 

 premature falling of leaves and fruit, and shrivelling of wood in some 

 cases. 



From the record of Mr. Paine we make the following comparison: 

 The mean temperature of the four months of June, Jul}', August 



and September, for the past 40 years, is 67.30° 



Mean temperature for 1870 was 69.90° 



" " " 1828, (next warmest,) .... 69.53° 



" " " 1836, (coldest,) 64.40° 



Thus it appears that this year was .47° warmer during the growing 

 montlis than the year 1S28, the next warmest, and that it was 5i° warmer 

 than the year 1836, when Indian Corn did not ripen in Massachusetts. 



We may add, though as of less importance to the cultivator, that 

 October was also the warmest month within 4(5 years, the rain being 

 nearly up to the average. That the did'erence in mean temperature 

 between the warmest and the coldest seasons should be only 5i degrees 

 will probably be a surprise to persons not familiar with the weather 

 record, and they would hardly expect such widely differing results from 

 so slight dillerenccs in the thermometer. These facts make it apparent 



