42 



THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



the river, as if they had become worn out by con- 

 trition on so long a journey. 



Some parts of this district appear to have suf- 

 fered a more violent diluvial action than other 

 parts, though it is possible the evidences may be 

 more owing to a greater quantity of loose mate- 

 rials in some places ; which would be more obe- 

 dient to its power. This latter suggestion finds 

 Eome countenance in the circumstance that gra- 

 vel hills occur in greater abundance south oI'Lake 

 Ontario, than in any other pari of western New 

 York ; and this tract extends to the distance of 

 more than twenty miles from the shore. Such a 

 lake is the place where we should expeet loose 

 materials to collect. 



The arrangement of these gravel hills presents 

 the most curious phenomena. Their direction 

 varies from the true meridian in some cases more 

 thaji twenty degrees (o the west of north ; but 

 those which 1 have examined in the neighbor- 

 hood of Montezuma, diverge much less, and vary 

 but little from the present magnetic meridian ; of 

 course they are nearly parallel ; and I have not 

 found any two adjoining ridges to difler more than 

 two degrees. They point to a common centre at 

 the north. 



Perhaps I may be better understood if I briefly 

 describe them. Some are more than half a mile 

 long, almost as regular as an artificial embank- 

 ment, and broad enough for public roads, which 

 in some instances have been laid out along them ; 

 while others, indicating a more violent action, are 

 ehorter, composed in part of coarser materials, in- 

 cluding rocks, and so narrow on the top as barely 

 to admit of a foot-path. It seems evident that, 

 when they were first Ibrmed, the edge must have 

 been as sharp as- the ridge of a rooi— as sharp as 

 loose materials could be made to stand. 



Some of these ridges may be 100 feet high ; 

 an altitude from 40 to 70 feet however would in- 

 clude a great number. They add much to the 

 picturesque beauty of the country ; but little to 

 the comfort of the farmer, as they divide his land 

 in some places most inconveniently. 



In three or four wells within half a mile of this 

 place, branches of trees have been found at 

 depths of more than thirty feet. The wood is 

 eound, resembling red cedar, and I have pre- 

 Berved some of those specimens in my cabinet. 



In the waters of the Cayuga, eels are nume- 

 rous ; and in autumn great quantities have been 

 taken in baskets when descending the Seneca ri- 

 ver. Only a part however migrate at that sea- 

 son. In winter, holes are cut in the ice which 

 covers the lower part of the lake, and barrels of 

 them have been annually caught with spears. 



Ice is more rapidly formed on the lake when 

 the water has been chilled by deep snows, or a 

 long continuance of cold weather. Thus a se- 

 vere night towards the close of winter, produces 

 a much greater quantity of ice than a night of 

 equal severity in the earlier part of the season. 



When the thermometer is below zero, the lake 

 smokes like a great caldron ; and much latent 

 heat is given off" with these exhalations, softening 

 the air to a considerable distance. In this way the 

 climate of the lake country is milder than that 

 of any other inland district within the same pa- 

 rallels of latitude east of the Rocky JMountains. 

 The mercury at this place, so far as I have beei^ 

 abla to team, haa never been eo low as it has 



been sometimes at Philadelphia, Cincinnati, and 

 Vincennes. 



North-easters, always so uncomfortable and of- 

 ten BO destructive in the maritime parts of the 

 United States, arc not felt in this district ; and no 

 wind seta in regularly from that quarter at any 

 time. I remember, indeed, a brisk wind with 

 snow for half an hour or so, but this was in un- 

 settled weather, when light breezes were veering 

 round from the north towards the east or south- 

 east ; and I have no recollection of any similar 

 instance. 



I have ascertained that at times when north- 

 easters rage on the coast, we have at this place a 

 light steady breeze, varying from N. N. W. to 

 N. by E. — more frequently with rain or snow, 

 though sometimes with a clear sky. It seems as 

 if a portion of that great under-current came up 

 the St. Lawrence, and then was deflected over 

 this favored land, — (or the breeze is so gentle 

 that probably no person in health would think of 

 postponing on its account a visit for either busi- 

 ness or pleasure. 



Northerly winds, as I have already mentioned, 

 are not aenerully fair weather winds ; and several 

 of our deepest snows have come from that quar- 

 ter. I have seen showers from that direction for 

 two days in succession, which it appeared were 

 exhausted, soon after passing into Pennsylvania, 

 as a newspaper printed at Williamsport, on the 

 west branch of the Susquehanna, a day or two 

 after, noticed a continuance of the drought while 

 we were saturated. 



When the S. S. E. wind sets in, taking the di- 

 rection of the upper part of the lake, notunfrequent- 

 ly a hazy cloud, the thin edge of the coming tem- 

 pest, is seen at the same time in the S. W. just 

 rising above the horizon ; and from this it is evi- 

 dent that our south-south-easter is really a S. 

 W. wind deflected from its course. In winter it 

 is the most chilling wind that blows, flowing 

 down from ihe mountains in the south ; and 

 sometimes it is 8 or 10 hours before it becomes 

 sensibly warmer. If the storm approaches while 

 the air is cold, we have snow ; but if the wind 

 has time to soften, we have rain, or snow melting 

 as it falls. It is not uncommon for snow to fall 

 from that quarter three or four inches deep, follow- 

 ed by a thawj and succeeded by snow squalls 

 from the west. 



Sometimes the S. S. E. wind blows moderately 

 for several days, especially in summer or the ear- 

 ly part of autumn, without rain ; but though often 

 warm and pleasant, it is considered the precursor 

 of a storm ; and no settled weather is expected. 

 In drought, however, whether of long or short du- 

 ration, the wind generally comes down the lake in 

 the morning, but up in the afternoon. It is a re- 

 volution without a cloud — an unsuccessful move- 

 ment in the air to raise a siorm. 



Thunder clouds commonly approach from the 

 S. W. but appear over the highlands south of the 

 lake more frequently than in any other quarter; 

 and often wh^n we have a clear sky. Such at- 

 traction is well known to meteorologists. Showers, 

 however, very seldom approach from the north- 

 west ; and so extremely rare is a thunder-storm 

 from the east, that a farmer considered one of last 

 season as " backing up." 



I have spoken of the influence of our lakes on 

 the temperature, but they have other eflects. In 



