REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE. 147 



March 4, the weather suddenly changed, with violent northwesterly 

 wind, and a rapidly falling temperature ; the mercury, which at 

 eight in the evening of the 4th inst. was at 34* above^ at seven, 

 on the morning of the 5th, indicated from 2 to 8 degrees below 

 zero. 



The thermometer continued all day scared}'' above zero, with 

 violent winds, and at 9, P. M., it marked 7° below zero. During 

 Wednesday, March 6th, the wind continued, the temperature dar- 

 ing the day rising very slightly ; the mercury was 6° below zero 

 at sunrise, and at zero at sunset. 



Thursday, March 7th, the weather was calm, but the mercury 

 only 2° above zero. 



Friday, March 8th, was cold and windy. 



On Saturday, the temperature rapidly rose, and on Sunday, 

 March 10th, there wa;s a rain, freezing as it fell, and casing vege- 

 tation in a mass of ice. 



Monday, March 11th, was very bright and sunnj'-, but cold. 



A few days of more moderate weather followed, but still very 

 cold for March, the thermometer ranging from 6° above zero. 



On Tuesday, March 19th, the wind again changed suddenly to 

 the northwest, and we had four days of verj^ cold, windy weather. 

 The temperature of the month was 18 degrees below the average 

 of former years during nearly half a century. 



In 1871, the average temperature of March was 40*. 



On the first of April there were no signs of spring, and on 

 April 16th and 17th the ground was hard frozen in the morning, 

 the frost not then having gone from the subsoil, the weather gen- 

 erally being unpropitious. 



During this time but little rain fell, the weather being generally 

 dry and windy ; this dry weather continued until after the middle 

 of May. 



On the 8th of May the frost was, in many places, still deep in 

 the ground. 



•The summer of 1872 was exceedingly warm, with sufficient rain, 

 and generally favorable to vegetation. 



Thus far our record carries us to the summer of 1872. 



We have shown seasons of unprecedented drought, of sudden 

 alternations of heat and cold, of violent wind, with little snow, 

 allowing the frost to penetrate to an unusual depth. 



A reference to the lists accompanying this report will establish 



