THE MAGAZINE 



OF 



HORTICULTURE, 



JANUARY, 1853. 



ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. 



Art. I. A Retrospective Vieio of the Progress of Horticul- 

 ture in the United States, during the year 1852. By the 

 Editor. 



The winter of 1851 and 1852 was one of the most severe 

 which has been experienced since 1835. It was of very 

 long duration, commencing early in November and contin- 

 ued into April. The average temperature was very low, and 

 the extremes of cold greater than is often experienced in the 

 latitude of Boston. The spring advanced with great rapid- 

 ity. The frost was not out of the ground on the 3d of April, 

 and just one month afterwards, May 8th, cherries, peaches, 

 &c., were in full bloom! leaving less than a good working 

 month to do all the heavy labor of spring planting. Nearly 

 ten inches of rain fell in the first ten days of April, and suc- 

 ceeding this came the great drought of 1852, lasting from 

 May to the 25th of August, and extending throughout New 

 England, with such severity that the hay crop was not half, 

 and in some instances one quarter, the average of good years. 



The month of January commenced with mild weather, 

 the temperature at 40®. On the 3d it began to snow, and 

 continued up to the 7th, falling to the depth of a foot. Cold, 

 cloudy and snowy weather succeeded. On the 13th the 

 temperature was 10° ; on the 15th, mild again, rising to 40° 

 at noon ; but on the 16th the change was very sudden, indi- 



VOL. XIX. NO. I. X 



