1859. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



665 



eign countries, but that it has every where re- 

 ceived from the intelligent and reflecting portion 

 of the community, the attention and encourage- 

 ment it deserves. 



Were we to go through our several field crops 

 at the commencement of the season of matura- 

 tion, and select the best and earliest ripe of the 

 divers sorts, we should soon find the benefit of 

 such a course, and our fields would present at 

 harvest a very different appearance from that 

 which now so frequently causes us to turn from 

 them with dissatisfaction. It would cost but a 

 mere trifle to select seed in this way, even in the 

 case of the cereal grains. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 REVIEW OF THE SEASOM". 



Mr. Editor : — It may be instructive as well 

 as useful to the public, to examine the records of 

 the past, and define the peculiar characteristics 

 of the season, which have a bearing on the pros- 

 perity of the farmer, and compare them with the 

 records of former years. Although we have had 

 a partial failure in some crops, yet others have 

 yielded abundantly, so that kind nature, in dis- 

 pensing her gifts to man, only changes her abun- 

 dance from one crop to another. The growing 

 season commenced under favdrable circumstances 

 in regard to crops. The weather was rather dry, 

 and the earth moderately warm, which fitted it 

 well for the reception of seed, which was com- 

 mitted to the soil in the proper season, with what 

 effect a review of the months will now fully ex- 

 plain. 



April had a mean temperature of 39.36 being 

 2.12 below the mean for the past seven years. 

 The amount of rain was 2.26 inches — about the 

 same quantity that fell in April, last year ; it fell 

 on eleven days. Two inches of snow fell during 

 the month. Grass commenced growing about 

 the 14th, but was backward during the month, 

 and the forests were bare and leafless. The 

 amount of cloudiness was about fifty per cent. 



May had a mean temperature of o8.72, being 

 4.69 above the mean, and was the warmest May 

 for the last seven years. We had 1.89 inches of 

 rain, being an unusually small amount for May. 

 The amount of rain in May, 1858, was 3.56 inches, 

 and in 1857, 5.64 inches. Here was the com- 

 mencement of a season much too dry for vegeta- 

 tion, for the ground had not yet been fully satu- 

 rated with water. The first five days of the month 

 were entirely free from clouds, which is a very 

 unusual phenomenon in this region. The amount 

 of cloudiness during the month was about fortj^- 

 two per cent. There were frosts on the od, 11th, 

 23d and 31st days, besides others on low lands 

 not noticed. The last was quite severe, killing 

 corn and other vegetables in many places. The 

 first thunder storm took place on the 7th, and 

 another on the night of the 26th ; these were the 

 only thunder storms during the month. There 

 was a beautiful halo around the sun on the 31st 

 day, which lasted from, ten A. M., to one P. M., 

 and was extremely bright between eleven and 

 twelve A. M. 



June had a temperature of 62.44, being 2.24 

 colder than the mean, and is the coldest of the 

 past seven years, with the exception of 1857. 

 The first half of the month was extremely dry, 

 and the last part moderately wet. The amount 

 of rain was 4.12 inches, being more than in any 

 other month except September, during the sea- 

 son. The amount of cloudiness was fifty-seven 

 per cent. Rain fell on seventeen days. There 

 were four thunder storms, and a high wind ac- 

 companying the last, on the 29th. On the same 

 day, the mercury stood at 92, at one P. M., 

 which was the highest during the summer. The 

 extremes of temperature were 36 and 92. White 

 frosts occurred on the mornings of the 6th and 

 12th days. 



July had a mean temperature of 67.30 being 

 2.35 colder than the mean, it being the coldest 

 July for the past seven years with the exception 

 of 1853. The extremes of temperature were 

 41.50 and 90. This was the only month that 

 escaped frost in this region, but report says there 

 was frost in some places — probably on the morn- 

 ing of the 5th, which was the coldest, with a tem- 

 perature of 41.50, bordering on frost. Rain fell 

 on 11 days, and its amount was 1.315 inches, 

 which was less than the mean of the three previ- 

 ous years by 1.48 inc.es, being less than half 

 the usual quantity. Thunder was heard on four 

 days. Amount of cloudiness, 44 per cent. 



August had a mean temperature of 67.76, being 

 2.05 warmer than the mean, and was the warm- 

 est August for the past seven years. The ex- 

 tremes of temperature were 43 and 87.50. Rain 

 fell on 11 days, and its amount was 2.845 inches, 

 which was 3.09 inches less than the mean of the 

 three preceding years. The earth was extremely 

 dry during the month. Many wells and springs 

 were dry, and all streams exceedingly low. There 

 was a light frost on the morning of the 30th, suf- 

 ficient to injure crops on low lands. 



September had a mean temperature of 56.43, 

 being 2.10 colder than the mean, and was the 

 coldest of the past seven years. Rain fell on 17 

 days, and its amount was 4.615 inches, being a 

 little more than the average fall, but was not suf- 

 ficient to affect the lower springs, nor give the 

 surface its usual amount of moisture in conse- 

 quence of the protracted drought of summer. 

 Since the frost on the 15th, the forests have put 

 on their hues of "purple and gold," the fading 

 beauties of their autumnal dress, and the precur- 

 sor of early decay. Soon the deciduous forests 

 will be striped of their foliage, which has been 

 so beautiful in its green and sombre hues, show- 

 ing nature beautiful even in decay. 



This may be said to be a cold, dry summer, 

 for the nights have been unusually chilly. There 

 has been a large proportion of chilling south- 

 east winds, consisting of nightly aspirations, 

 when the wind has been at every other point dur- 

 ing the day. This has had a bad efi'ect on some 

 crops, especially corn. The whole number of con- 

 secutive days free from frost, was 78, while last 

 year we had 142 days. The last frost of spring 

 occurred on the 12th of June, and the first of au- 

 tumn on the 30th of August. The mean temper- 

 ature of the past six months was 57.50, and the 

 amount of rain 17 inches, being an average of 

 2.83 inches to each month. 



The corn crop was the nearest a failure of any 



