REMARKS 



The weather for the month of October was very near the nor- 

 mal excepting the amount of precipitation. Of the 1.1 :> inches re- 

 ceived. OAo inches was received by the storm of the Slh ancl the 

 drouthy condition beginning" in July has not been adequately re- 

 lieved. Since the storm of July 13 only ().9(j inches of water has been 

 received and only 3 storms recorded precipitation in excess of O.o 

 inches. Since the normal precipitation July through October is 15.71 

 inches, there is a reason that streams and wells are obser\-ed to be 

 very low. 



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

 the following report: "In general, October weather was very 

 favorable for farm work. There was little more than an inch of 

 rainfall in Western Massachusetts and the mean temperature was 

 slightly above normal. On one occasion the temperature droi)pe(l 

 to 21° causing some worry among apple growers with fruit still 

 on the trees. A few farmers experienced a water shortage. If 

 the soil becomes thoroughly wet before it freezes, conifers will 

 tend to suffer less drying from winter \\inds. 



Winter cover crops and new se\.'dings look unusually well. 

 Aside from the relatively mild weather this may be due, according 

 to Dr. W. G. Colby of the Agronomy Department, to the fact that 

 there has been so little rain to leach the nitrates from the soil. 

 Consequently, cover crops have had a better supply of nitrogen and 

 are therefore making better growth than would have been the case 

 if heavv rains had fallen during October." 



