REMARKS 



The weather during May was marked with rain above normal and 

 less sunshine than usual. The total rainfall for the month was 5.67 

 inches. The rainfall during the storm on the 31st was 2.58 inches. 

 The normal rainfall for May is 3.60 inches. This makes a total 

 rainfall of 17.62 inches for March, April and May. This has been 

 exceeded only once in the 50-year history of the station. In 1901 

 there was a total rainfall of 18.52 inches in these three spring 

 months. There were only 182 hours of bright sunshine compared 

 to the normal of 252 hours. Most of the deficiency occurred in the 

 latter half of the month. Only three times during the last 50 years 

 has there been less sunshine in May than the past month. In 1927 

 there were 137 hours; in 1916, 181 ; and in 1901, 159. The tempera- 

 ture for the month was nearly normal with a mean of 57.2 degrees. 

 The normal mean temperature for May is 57.1 degrees. There were 

 no heavy frosts, the lowest temperature being 33 degrees on the 

 13th. The highest temperature was 82 degrees on the 15th. The 

 domestic heating load was 242 degree-days, the normal being 245 

 degree-days. The total heating load for the season is now 7143 

 degree-days, the normal for this period being 6743 degree-days. 



Dr. J. K. Shaw of the Pomology Department makes the following 

 report : "Although the past winter was a severe one, fruit plants 

 came through with little injury. Peach fruit buds survived and the 

 bloom was abundant. Raspberry canes suffered much less injury 

 than in the previous winter. Apple varieties blossomed moderately 

 or heavily, especially considering the heavy crop of last year which 

 might be expected to limit fruit bud formation. Quite likely the 

 dry sunny weather of last June favored fruit bud formation. The 

 season of bloom was nearly a week later than the average and, 

 because of much cold, cloudy weather, was much prolonged. There 

 were a few sunny days favorable to bee flight and pollination. It 

 cannot yet be said how well apples have set. The abundance of wet 

 weather during the early season of growth favored scab infection 

 and made scab control difficult." 



