1846. 



GENESEE FARMER. 



265 



Meteorological, Hortcultural and other Ob- 

 servations, made at Rochester. 



BY LEANDER WETHERELI,. 



Rochester is situated on both sides of tlie 

 Genesee River, seven miles south from its en- 

 trance into Lake Ontario. Latitude 43° 8' 17" 

 N. liOngitLide 170° 51' West from Greenwich. 

 Elevation above tide water 50G feet. 



It is a fact well established by observation, 

 that the mercury in the thermometer does not 

 sink as low in Rochester, by many degrees, as 

 in Auburn, Utica, Albany, Springfield, Worces- 

 ter and Boston, places near the same parallel of 

 latitude. The fact is probably owing to the 

 proximity of the Lake 



The average mean temperature of Rochester, for the last 



14 years, is 46. .54 degrees. 



Of Auburn, 18 years, 46.78 " 



" Utica, 20 years, 45.61 " 



" Albany, 20 years, 48.26 " 



" Trenton, N. J., for 1844, 52.50 " 



•' St. Louis, IMo., 1836, 55.^0 " 



" Nashville, Tenn., 1844, 59.92 



The lowest degree that the mercury sunk, the 

 present year, was one degree above Zero, (Feb. 

 19th. ) The higllGSt tll.lt it '-"s^^- ^vas (July 10th, ) 

 96 degrees. Range, 95 degrees. 



The changes in the temperature are sudden 

 and great — often varying 40° in a few hours. 



The last frost in the Spring was on the morn- 

 ing of the 22d of May ; and the first this Au- 

 tumn Oct. 3d, (slight.) 



The prevailing wind at Rochester, for the last 

 14 years, West; at Auburn, for 18 years, N. 

 W. and S.; at Utica, 20 years, West; at Alba- 

 ny, 20 years, South. 



The average quantity of rain at Rochester, for the last 



13 years, - 29.95 inches. 



Auburn, for 17 years, 33.73 " 



Utica, 18 years, 49.80 " 



Albany, 2() years, 40.30 " 



Worcester, 1844, 37.85 " 



Rochester, '• 26.17 " 



Trenton,N. J. " 23. " 



LambertviUe, N. J., 1844, 40.,319 " 



1841, 57.3S5 " 



Charleston, S. C, 1844, .36.39 " 



Nashville, Tenii., 1840, .59.14 " 



" 1841 61.70 " 



" '• 1844, 42.27 " 



Greatest range of thermoirieter observed at 

 Nashville, within io years, 117 degree.s — from 

 99 degrees in 1829, to 18 below Zero on Janu- 

 ary 26th, 1832. 



The greatest range that I have known was last 

 year, 102 — from Zero in Jan. to 102 in July. 



The medium annual temperature of tlie whole 

 earth is said to be 50 degree.s, 2^ degrees higher 

 than the annual mean of Rochester for 18 15. 



Below is the Rain Gauge for Rochester, 1846 

 and 1845— and for Charleston S. C, in 1844: 



1845. Charleslo7i, 1844. 



3.51 inches. 2.21 inches. 



2.01 " 2.33 " 



2.02 " 4.20 " 

 2.49 " 1..50 " 

 2.65 " 2.14 " 

 4.48 " 1.80 " 

 2.75 •' 0.45 " 

 2.77 '•• 7.38 " 

 4.32 " 4.95 " 



The following table gives a comparative view 

 of the time of the blossoming of fruit at Roches- 

 ter and St. Louis : 



Rochester. St. Louis. 



Apricots April, 14th, March, 5th, 



Peaches, " 24th, " 25th. 



Cherries, " 24th, April 3d. 



Plums, " 24!h, " 3d. 



Apples, " 29th, " 10th. 



Gooseberries, 19th, " 10th. 



Pears, May, 2d, " lOlh. 



.4pricots ripe, July 13t]i, July 14th. 



Plums ripe, July 21st, July 17th. 



Cherries ripe, June 1st, June 12th. 



Tiie season has been remarkably warm and 

 productive over our entire country — fruit abund- 

 ant and delicious, though injured in some InC':^!!- 

 ties by insects. 



In 1843 we had 145^ fair days, and 219^ 

 cloudy; 85 on which rain fell ; 71 on v.^hich snow 

 fell; 16 on which rain and snow fell. In 1844 

 we had 170 fair days, and 196 cloudy; 124 on 

 which rain fell; 70 snow fell; 9 rain and snow. 

 In 1845 we had 154^ fair days, and 2101 cloudy; 

 105 rain fell; 74 snow fell; 17 rain and snow. 



The year past has been remarkable for fair 

 weather — more so than any one previous for five 

 years. We had good sleighing through the win- 

 ter — but little mud in the spring — vegetation 

 came forward early — the suminer uncominonly 

 warm over our country, rather dry — crops good. 

 The autumn unusually pleasant — the first half of 

 September uncommonly warm, the first half 

 monthly mean being 71.90 degrees — the mean 

 for the month being 59.61 degrees. 



The first half of October very pleasant. On 

 the 13th we had an uncommon fall of rain. It 

 began to rain about 3i o'clock in the morning, 

 and rained incessantly until evening — when the 

 wind cliangcd and the clouds passed- away, and 

 followed by a pleasant day. The quantity of 

 rain that fell on the 13th, was 2.-32 inches — a 

 greater quantity than I have known to fall in one 

 day for 6 years. Rain Gauge for the first half 

 ofOctober, 3. .52 inches. 



The noblest spirits are those which turn to 

 heaven not in tlie hour of sorrow, but in that of 



joy- 



Just anger makes our .sympathies more ten- 

 der, as a hot climate brings forth spices as well 

 as poisons. 



We praise men for fighting, and punish chil- 

 dren for doing the same thing precisely. 



