1848. 



GENESEE FARMER. 



291 



Remarks on the Season, 



EMBRACING METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS MADE IN 

 ENGLAND AND THE UNITED STATES. 



The fruits of the labor of the husbandman are 

 immediately dependent on the favorableness of 

 the season. With seasonable rains, and other- 

 wise suitable temperatuae of climate, the indus- 

 trious and careful farmer is sure to reap a plen- 

 tiful harvest. From the fact that climate exerts 

 a greater influence upon plants than the mechan- 

 ical labors of the cultivator, it becomes a subject 

 of the deepest interest connected with agricul- 

 tural and horticultural pursuits. The parts of 

 this subject which particularly interest and con- 

 cern the tillers of the eartli are those relating to 

 the quantity of rain, the number of days on 

 which it falls, and the temperature' of the atmos- 

 phere during the period of the growth and ma- 

 turity of the plants. Mr. Lawes, an able con- 

 tributor to the agricultural journals of England, 

 gives the results of his observations on these 

 points for three years. These are subjoined. 

 The period embraced in the table begins with 

 April and ends with October. He considers the 

 climate so far as it affects the growth of grass in 

 April and May ; the wheat climate commences 

 with May and ends with August ; the turnep 

 season to begin with June and end with October. 



1844 1845 184G 

 No. of days rain fell during April and May, 



before: also the average results of variously manured plots 



1844. 

 Corn. (i. e. wheat) per acre in bushels, 16 



straw per acre, in lbs., 1120 



Weight of wheat per bushel inlbs., 58>a 



Per centage of wheat to straw, (straw 1000,) 821 



MEAN OF ALL THE PLOTS. 



Weight of wheat per bushel in lbs.. CO?t 



Per centage of wheat to straw, (straw 1000.) 868 



In his remarks on Ihis table he says, Ihat, the efiects of 

 climate, as indicated by the other table is in accordance 

 uiih the general character of the seasons. The lowest 

 weight of the bushel and the greatest amount of straw 

 were obtained in that season which had the greatest num- 

 ber of rainy days and the lowest temperature ; tiie least 

 amount of straw with the driest seasoji, and the first 

 quality of grain in tiie warmest summer. • 



Will not some of the farmers who read this paper try 

 similar experiments, and publish the results in the Genesee 

 Farmer/ All the apparatus necessary to try the experi- 

 ment is a thermometer, a rain gauge, and a machine for 

 weighing. 



I here add the reults of my observations for the corres- 

 ponding seasons given in Mr Lawes' table : 



1844. 1845. 1846. 

 Number of days rain fell during April and 3Iay, 



(grass season.) 

 Do from May 1st to end of Augu.st. 

 Do. from June 1st to end of October, 

 Inches of rain during April and May, 

 Do from May 1st to end of August, 

 Do. from June 1st to end of Gotober. 

 Mean temperature during April and May, 

 Do. from May 1st to end of August. 

 Do. from June 1st to end of October, 



21 



(grass season.) 

 No. do.from May 1st to end of August. 17 weeks, 



(grain season.) 

 No. from June to end of October, 21 weeks, 



(turnep season ) 

 Inches of rain during April and May, (grass 



! end of August, 17 



14 



43 



67 



0.59 



5.17 



10..37 



52.6 



36 28 



71 45 



74 05 



3.87 5.19 



9.34 8.41 



9.62 13.95 



48.9 50.5 



58.2 63.1 



59.4 57.8 62.2 



Above. Below. Ab'v. 



0.9 2.1 3.2 



Do. from May 1st to 



weeks (grain season.) 

 Do. from June to the end of October, 21 weeks, 



(turnep ."^lason.) 

 Jle'ii t?;'perature during April and May, 



';'raFf: season,) 

 Do. »iom May 1st to end of August, 17 weeks, 



(,'rain season,) 

 D( . from June to i nd oi October. 21 weeks, 



(turnep seascn.) 

 Temperature ; ov or oelow average from 



May to en of August, (grain season,) 



He iciiiark- that the two spring months of 1844 were 

 unusually drv. the quantity of rain and the number of days 

 on which it foil being small. The summer was warm, and 

 the quantity of rain moderate. The climate being una- 

 dapted to an increased accumulative and circulating con- 

 dition of the plants, the favorable growth of the spring 

 plants was prevented ; but a warm dry summer favored 

 the depositing and claborative condition, and hence a good 

 quality of grain. 



In 184-5, the groat nupiber of rainy days and the low- 

 temperature wore highly favorable to the circulatory con- 

 dition of the plants, and therefore green crops of all de- 

 scriptions and straw were unusually abundant, and the 

 grain of a bad quality. 



In 1846 the spring favored the circulatory condition, and 

 the crops of grass and 



27 

 63 



65 65 54 

 4.90 5.14 3.52 

 12.41 12.65 13.64 

 13-92 17.16 20.85 

 55.6 50.1 53.3 

 64.2 64.3 66.1 

 61.2 62.1 634 

 ! have presented this table to show by direct comparison 

 the diflerence in climate between this place and England. 



Our grass season and the grass season in England very 

 nearly correspond ; not so, however, with the grain season. 

 Wl'.e.it maiiiresand is harvested from si.>: weeks to two 

 months earlier here than in our falher-land. 



The season, just closed, was unusually favorable for the 

 interests of the farmer — not very rainy, and not very dry — 

 not very cold and not very warm — but was furnished with 

 just about that quantity of moisttire and degree of temper- 

 ature which best promote th" i;rovvthand maturity of vege- 

 tation. Consequently the lahor.s and cares of the husband- 

 man were crowned with a bountiful harvest, both the ear 

 lier and later. September was cool and rainy, October was 

 exceedingly tine — the splendor and beauty of the hues of 

 the decaying leaves of the trees unsurpassed ; and the 

 month of iN'ovember thus far has been exceedingly un- 

 pleasant — snow and rain, or rain or snow, almost every day. 

 Rochester, Nov. 18^/i, 1848. L. Wetherell. 



Good and Useful Books. — What a world of 

 trash now-a-days issues from the press, in the 

 shape of cheap publications, stitched in nice 

 pink and blue covers ! Have you read the last 

 novels ? No — and you never will, they fall so 

 rapidly from the binder's hands. But you may 

 have "read much of the stufT with which our 

 country is flooded. What benefit have you deri- 

 ved from these works ? Are you wiser or better ? 



Our object at this time is, to recommend good 

 and useful books. What is more valuable, that 

 costs so little, than a library of good books ? — 

 Every young man, and old one too, should have 

 a few select works, to which he could resort at 



to 



er were luxuriant. Inthemonth his leisure moments, to improve his understand- 



t 'Z^:'^£:^:'::^:^'^^S^Z:'^Z -^ -d mend his hea, t. with . smaH Hbrary, 



which rain fell; the quality of grain produced wris very fine. ! no one can be at a loss how to Spend tllS tmie. 



On the contrary, the crops of turneps were inferior, ow- 1 There are biographies and histories ; works on 



ing to there being 31 successive days without rain, twice . , , ... i • u „ k.. l^^,,^V.t 1^,.. Knt 



during the season. From May 21st to June 21st, no rain I ^md and matter— which can be bought 'o^S t^Ut 

 fell, and from August 22d to Sept. 21st rain fell on 3 days 1 which are e.xcedingly instructive and va.uable. 

 only— the quantity being less than one tenth of an inch. j Q^^ ^ ^f ^ qoJ book, well Studied, would 

 In another table Mr. L. gives the effect of climate on the I •. „ , „" •„r„.,^„t;^,i tKon fiA^r wr.liii-«oo of 



quantitv and qualtity of produce of the unraanured plots of S^^^ you more mforiTiation than fifty volumes of 

 the experimental wheat field, carried through three years as I nonsensical trash. — Portland Umpire. 



