FRUIT committee's REPORT. 25 



than is customary ; and a record of the rain fall proves that its quantity waa 

 greatly in excess of the average of the summer season. A brief detail of the 

 Meteorological Phenomena of the year, assuming it to commence in the au- 

 tumn of the previous year, instead of the usual period, will tend to confirm 

 this assertion, and not seem here out of place. 



The two closing months of the autumn of 1862 were wet, more than eleven 

 inches of rain having fallen in the two ; on the 7th of November there was a 

 severe snow storm extending over most of the northern and eastern parts of 

 the United States. Yet, notwithstanding, as both before and after this last 

 named period, up to the close of the month, there was much warm, fine 

 weather, and that fruit trees, by having their new growth well ripened, ap- 

 peared prepared to undergo the trying ordeal of the approaching winter, 

 there seemed to be nothing in this season to induce cultivators to antici- 

 pate unfavorable results to their next year's labors. The first heavy frosts of 

 1862 were on the 21st and 24th of October, on this last day the ground hav- 

 ing been frozen. The winter of 1862 and 1863 must be considered as mild, 

 although on two different occasions the mercury fell to below 0, viz., on the 20th 

 of December and on the 4th of February, on this last day indicating — 12°, 

 with a heavy wind from the north-west. But the extreme cold was of short 

 duration, and for most of the time the weather was quite mild, so that at 

 times the frost was nearly if not wholly out of the ground. There was but 

 little snow, and for the greater part of the time the earth was bare ; in January, 

 the mercury did not fall below 9°, and on one day rose to 54°. The rain 

 that fell in the three months was 9 inches 14-100. March was cold, colder 

 on an average than either January or February ; on the 14th, the thermometer 

 marked 4° below 0, and on several mornings in the middle of the month was 

 but little above that point ; for most of the month the ground was covered with 

 snow. In the latter part of April, the weather became fine, although still 

 without any very warm days, after having been previously cold, wet and 

 stormy. The earlier part of May was -wet and cool ; after that, dry and warm, 

 the closing week even hot. During the spring months, 14 inches 66-100 of 

 rain fell, of which only about 2^ inches fell in May, and none after the 17th 

 of the month. While June was, on the whole, cool and dry, only about two 

 inches of rain falling, and that the dry weather continued up to the 9th of 

 the succeeding month, July was remarkable for the opposites ; the whole 

 month was almost a continued succession of warm, often cloudy, or foggy, 

 damp weather, with the wind almost constantly in the southern quarter, 

 intermingled with heavy rains, the whole quantity that fell during the 

 month being about 12i inches, exceeding the quantity that has fallen in any 

 one month for more than forty years. The weather in August resembled that 

 of July, was warm and damp, with over 6 inches of rain, the rain fall of the 

 summer being on the aggregate 20 inches 18-100, or nearly half the average 

 fall of the year. September, assumed to be the closing period of the year, 

 was cool, with much dull weather, and a white frost on the 23d. The re- 



