23 



The following summary was abstracted from meteorogical records 

 taken in Amherst prior to the establishment of the meteorological 

 observatory at the college in 1889. 



The records from 1S36 to 1883 are from the observations of the 

 late Prof. E. S. Snell of Amherst College. These records were taken 

 at his house, about one and a half miles south of the location of the 

 meteorological observatory at the Massachusetts Agricultural Col- 

 lege, and at practically the same elevation above sea level. 



The precipitation records are believed to be fairly comparable 

 with the records of this station, although perhaps slightly affected 

 by the difference of topography surrounding the two places. As 

 Prof. Snell changed his time of taking temperatures and used differ- 

 ent methods of deducing the mean temperatures, in conformity with 

 the current practices at different dates, the comparison with those of 

 this station should be made with more caution. The maximum and 

 minimum temperatures of the earlier years were not all taken with 

 self-registering instruments, and this fact should be taken into con- 

 sideration when comparisons are made. 



The records from 1883 to 1889 were taken at the State Experi- 

 ment Station, on the college grounds, under the direction of Dr. 

 C. A. Goessmann, at that time the director of the State Agricultural 

 Experiment Station, and are fairly comparable with the records of 

 that station. 



Mean temperature for 72 years: 

 46.8 X 20 -|- 46.7 X 52 



72 



= 46.7 degrees. 



Mean precipitation for 73 years : 



44-36 X 53 + 44-84 X 20 

 = 44.49 inches. 



73 



