No. 4.] REPORT OF SECRETARY. xi 



dry. There were practically no damaging winds or local 

 storms to injure the fruit. 



Along the coast the mean temperature for July was below 

 the normal and the temperature range was small. The rain- 

 fall was below the normal along the coast, but was in excess 

 in the interior. There was a good deal of foggy and cloudy 

 weather and the number of rainy days was more than usual. 

 The high wind on the 16th did some damage to corn, grain 

 and fruit in western counties. The month was a poor one 

 for harvesting, but a splendid one for the growth of all field 

 crops. 



August opened with plenty of heat, sunshine and moisture. 

 Unusually hot and sultry weather continued over the second 

 week of the month, and most crops made a very rapid 

 growth. The last half of the month was somewhat cooler 

 and drier, with plenty of sunshine. There was a marked 

 absence of severe local storms and no continuous rains. 

 Streams and wells got very low and the subsoil was very dry. 

 The month was warmer and drier than the normal. 



Light frosts occurred during September on several dates 

 in valleys and on level plains, but there was no general kill- 

 ing frost. Rain was frequent and excessive in all districts, 

 and the ground was well filled with water at the end of the 

 month. At Boston the mean daily temperature was very 

 near the normal. The weather was exceptionally favorable 

 for the growth of late forage crops, and grass on old fields 

 also thickened up. Local rain and thunder storms were 

 frequent and damaging. 



October gave an unusual amount of cloudy, stormy 

 weather, although in eastern districts the total rainfall for 

 the month was fully an inch below the normal amount. A 

 number of severe storms passed near enough to give cloudy, 

 threatening weather and some wind, but not near enough for 

 us to get the worst part of the disturbance. The most note- 

 worthy was the West India hurricane of the 12th to 16th. 

 This was first noted over the West Indies on the 7th, and 

 moved slowly up the coast well out to sea. Warning sig- 

 nals were ordered and displayed all along our coast, giving 

 ample warnings of the gale. The wind reached hurricane 

 force on our extreme eastern coast, while the centre of the 



