148 NEW HAMPSHIRE COLLEGE 



DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLGY AND AGRI- 

 CULTURAL ENGINEERING, iS^6-'gj 



I. Meteorology 



Observations have been continued the past year as heretofore 

 under tlie charge of James A. Foord, New Hampsliire College, 

 class of '98. During July and August of 1S96 the work was 

 performed by Arthur Given, also of the class of '98. 



Signal flags have been displayed each day, from 11 a. m. till 

 sunset, indicative of the weather for the following day. 



The weather for the year has been characterized by an exces- 

 sive precipitation ; nearly ten inches above the normal. No 

 single month has shown a marked deficiency ; the least number 

 of rainy days reported in any one being five, as compared with 

 two the year previous. We seem to be passing through a series 

 of years with large and well distributed rainfall, possibly cul- 

 minating the past year. The ground lias kept well filled with 

 w^ater, springs have yielded abundantly, and the surface has 

 rarely lacked moisture. 



The Snow fall for the year was small ; about the same as the 

 previous winter, and much less than the normal. No snow of 

 any account fell till January 21, and the total for March was 

 small, thus cutting oft" the supply at both ends. The heavy 

 rainfall of January, February, and March was accompanied, as 

 was to be expected, by a higher average temperature than for 

 either the preceding year or any normal one. A small precipi- 

 tation kept the temperature of December down to a lower 

 point than in 1895, it being almost as cold on the average as 

 January, which was naturally the coldest of the year. 



Specially high water and floods were occasioned by the 

 excessive rainfalls of September 6, i<S96, and June 10, 1897. 

 In the latter case 6^ inches fell within twenty-four hours and 

 most of this within twelve hours. 



The summer months of 1896 were on the whole quite nor- 

 mal. Only one sustained heated spell occurred in July and one 



