REMARKS 



The weather during October was bright, warm and dry, with 

 18 clear and 6 fair days, and all but the last 3 days of the month 

 recording some amount of bright sunshine. Until the storm be- 

 ginning the 29th, the month had recorded .08 inches of rainfall 

 and the 4 previous months had recorded 10.48, bidding for a record 

 drouth in the 5-month period and developing the woodland into a 

 fire hazard of major proportions. The month finally recorded a 

 deficiency of 1.25 inches below normal and the 5 months period a 

 cumulative 12.52 inches against a normal of 19.46 inches of rainfall. 



Examination of the records maintained since 1836 discloses 

 that this month established a record mean daily temperature with 

 57.4 degrees. October 1920 with 56.4 degrees is nearest this record 

 and 1879 with 56.0 is next. On only 2 days were minimum tem- 

 peratures of less than 32 degrees recorded. The 23-degree minimum 

 on the 25th and the high of 86 on the 16th gave both the highest 

 maximum and the greatest range for the month since 1941. Seven 

 days of the month recorded mean temperatures in excess of 65 

 degrees. The heating load for the month is 249 degree-days and 

 cumulative for the season 433, slightly higher than last year's 

 cumulative, 416, but still only 72% of normal heating requirement 

 to October 31. 



There were no high winds during the month although the 

 fresh to strong winds which occurred between the 19th and the 

 24th gave trouble in nearby localities affected by forest fires. 



W. H. Thies, Extension Professor of Horticulture, contributes 

 the following report: "The month of October has been very favor- 

 able for fruit trees in some cases, and less so in others. On fertile, 

 retentive soils, leaves have functioned later than usual thus en- 

 couraging the development of fruit buds and the storage of carbo- 

 hydrates. This will tend to promote tree vigor and productiveness 

 in 1948. There is little evidence, in properly managed orchards, 

 of a lack of maturity in the trees, a condition which commonly 

 precedes one type of winter injury. On poorer soils, trees have pro- 

 bably suffered from a fluctuating water supply and from certain 

 mineral deficiencies which accompany a water shortage. Such 

 trees lost their leaves even before severe frosts had occurred. 

 October weather has been favorable for the continued development 

 of strawberry 'runners.' In fact, some matter row plantings un- 

 doubtedly have more plants than are needeed for a full crop." 



Correction: An error in barometric readings on page 3 in the June 1947 bulletin 

 gives 30.70 as the maximum on the 1st, 29.49 as the minimum on the 16th and 

 1.21 as the range. The correct readings are as follows: The maximum was 

 30.34 on the 21st; the minimum, 29.65 on the 15th; and the range, .69. 



