§18 



THE GENESEE FARMER, 



Notes on the Weather fkom August 15th to Septem- 

 8KR 16th, I860.— While the first half of August had its 

 mean temperature 2.7^* below the average for 23 years, 

 the average of the last half was very little above the 

 mean. The mean of the month was 1.3" above the average, 

 or 67.9'' — the mean being, for 23 years, 60.6". There has 

 not been a really hot day in the month, the highest being 

 on the noon of the 20th, and also of the 23d— only SO'*. 

 Tn-o cool mornings were the 2Sth and 30th, at 52". Last 

 yeiu- August was near a degree higher. 



The ruin in the month is 2.5 inches, and has been abun- 

 dant. The Genesee rose a foot or more in the last week. 

 The nun in the eight past months is 16.02 inches, or to 

 the end oi August. 



The average ram of the State is 34.9 inches a year, and 

 not 54 inches, as a public return has stated. The greatest 

 annual fall of rain is at New York, 46.3 inches, and the 

 least at Lewiston, 22.2 inches. At Rochester, the annual 

 mean rain is 31.8 inches, and at Ogdensburgh is 24.6 

 inches. 



Limited sections in Maine, Rhode Island,Virginia, Ken- 

 tucky,- Louisiana, Texas and Kansas, have suffeKed by 

 drouth, and severely at the South-west; but generally the 

 productions of the earth have been more than plenteous. 



Peaches abound in this vicinity, of the finest quality, 

 and great quantities are sent into Canada and to the East. 

 Apples, pears, plums, etc., without measure. All nature 

 pours forth from her rich store-house. 



This has been a very pleasant month for business, and 

 all nature in the finest dress for the season. 



Severe storms have occurred in some parts of the coun- 

 tiy— as at Watkins, the head of Seneca Lake, on the 18th ; 

 on the Mohawk River and north of it on the 21st, and on 

 the same day a great rain at Boston, and on the Schuylkill 

 and parts of New Jersey; and on the 24th a vi'oleut thun- 

 der storm, wish hail and rail, at Toronto, C. W., and vi- 

 cinity. 



In England and France the summer has been cool, and 

 the excessive rains have endangered the harvest of wheai. 

 There was quite an alarm in England on the subject, and 

 wheat had risen sixpence and ninepence a bushel. Three 

 or four days of pleasant weather at the close of August 

 had an exhilerating iiifluence, and strengthened the hope 

 of securing the fine crop. 



Thus closes the notes on August. 



September began, as the last month closed, with fine 

 weather, which has continued to the close of the half 

 month, interspersed with modei'atc adequate rains. Three 

 of these have been called the expected equinoctial storm. 



As a whole, this half of September has been rather cool 

 — 8° above that of last year for the same time, but below 

 the average for 23 j'ears by 4''. For this average is 60", 

 while that for those years is 64.1". Of course the average 

 for last year was 7.4'"' below that of the 23 years. The 

 coldest was ou the 10th, being 42" at 7 a. m. A great 

 change of weather at New York. 



The frost on Sept. 2d and 3d wrought little damage, 

 though up the Genesee a few miles buckwheat was injured, 

 and some other vegetables. On the 10th, the frost was 

 greater, corn being touched in some places. Some corn 

 has been cut up by the roots because it was advanced 



enough, and some that it might be ripened the more bv 

 standing in bunches ou the ground. 



The last telegram from Halifax announces line weatheii 

 in the beginning of September fur the harvest in theSoutli 

 of Kuglaud. 



The productions of the earth have rapidly matured. 

 Peaches have continued in abundance — many varieties 

 rather earlier than usual — as well as of apples pears and 

 plums. Of peaches, the exportation has been great to the 

 Fast and North ; and a week since, 00 tons of peaches 

 were sent from this city in one day, and on every day a 

 great amount. The late varieties a'-e not so abundant. 

 Of apples the demand will be less, because the crop is so 

 great over New England. 



Sept. 6 — A fine aurora borealis through the evening, 

 and fery splendid pillars, and corrnscations, over the 

 whole canopy, and of dilTerent colors, wide over the coun- 

 try, from 11 to midnight. It is not clear that the aurora 

 has any effect on the weather, or indicates change or ram. 

 It often occurs at the clearing up of a storm. In high 

 latitudes, it is too common or coutuiuous to be an index 

 of the weather. 



Agricultural Papers as Premiums.- The Piesident of 

 the Rainbridge (N. Y.) Agricultural Society writes us as 

 follows : 



" I mailed you some time since a show-bill of the Fourth 

 Annual Fair of the Buinbridge Agricultural Society. You 

 will notice by that, that instead of the smaller cash pre- 

 miums, we have tried the experiment of substituting the 

 valuable monthly agricultural papers of this State. This 

 is a perfect success, although we tried but in a small way. 

 While paying the ]>remiuius, we asked the exhibitors If 

 they would prefer the money, or the paper awarded. All 

 said, promptly, "Send the pajier;— it is paid for, and \vt 

 want it." 1 would suggest that this prtjject be moie fully 

 tested in other Societies. It will increase the circuhuio'u 

 of your papers, and throw them often into families whert 

 they are nut known, and afterward they will not readily 

 consent to be without them. The coming of this monthly 

 visitor will, by association, remind them ol' the last fair, 

 and the excitement und pleasure of meeting their li'iend.- 

 aud neighbors in friendly rivalry upon that aiinuid holi- 

 day ; and that to stand at the head of "the lists" and 

 lead the van, they must use every opportunity to lay in 

 that store of knowledge which sliall make them " in as- 

 ters" of that first and highest calling ever followed by 

 man — a tiller of the soil." 



Cash Prizes ! Cash Prizes ! Cash Prizes !— Our Prize 

 List for 1861 will be found ou the last page. Why will 

 not our friends compete for these prizes V They are worth 

 baring. We offer them, and pay them in all cases; and 

 yet few of our agents ever make the least effort to obtain 

 them. We hope they will do better this year. We are 

 anxious to compensate all, as far as possible, who aid us 

 in extending the circulation and usefulness of the Genesea 

 Farrntr. NOW i.s the time to coonpete for these Prizes. It 

 will be seen that we send the October, November and De- 

 cember numbers of this year/r«« to all who send us fifty 

 cents at this time for the volume for 1861 ! This gives our 

 agents and friends a good opportunity to inli'oduce the 

 paper among those who do not now take it. 



Prize Essays. — "We design offering a List of Subjecta 

 for Prize Essays in the next number of the Farmer. If 

 there are any subjects on which our readers desire iufor 

 mation, we should be glad if they would name them. 



