18 



FORWARDNESS OF THE SEASONS. 



of all tlu? plnres thus corrected (wiih die exception of Johnstown, Montgomery, Onondaga, 

 and Millvilie, whose elevation above tide water I could find no means of estimating) is 

 less than is due to their latitude and elevation, as computed by the foregoing laws, by 

 0°.16. The coincidence is sinprisingly close, and this small difference may be accounted 

 for by the low temperature of several places that enter into the computation, depending 

 upon accidental circumstances, or by error in the assumed elevation of some of the places ; 

 or, which is not improbable, by small errors in the data fiom which the laws were 

 deduced.* 



To indicate the forwardness of the seasons, I selected the following facts from a great 

 number of others published in the Regents' Reports, viz. the first appearance of robins in 

 the spring ; the blooming of various trees and plants ; the ripening of strawberries ; the 

 commencement of hay and wheat harvest ; and the first killing frost of autumn. The 

 mean time of these for the whole State for fifteen yearsf ending with 1842, and also the 

 mean temperature and mean annual extremes, is shown in the following table, which 

 may serve as a standard of reference in examining the same kind of facts in the different 

 sections of the State. In preparing this table, I noticed a few obvious errors in the records, 

 which I rejected. 



*lf, the law in respect to latitude remainiii!; unchanged, we should allow 1° of temperature for every 313 feet of 

 elevation, instead of 350 feet as I have assumed, the mean, calculated and observed temperatures would be precisely 

 alike. 



tTlie observations extend through a period of seventeen years, but I was unable to obtain tlie reports for l»26 

 and 1827. 



