238 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



PEEEUARY 4, 1638. 



J 



BOSTON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, FEB. 4, 1S35. 



CL.1MATE OF THE INITED STATES. 

 There are fi'W subjects whicli have led to a greater 

 diversity of opinion among philosophers thun the causes 

 of the different temperature of the climates situate in 

 the same parallel of latitude in different parts of the 

 globe. It is asserted, that not only countries iii the 

 same latitude differ from each other, but the same coun- 

 tries, at different periods, have difiVred with regard to 

 their mean temperature for a series of years. 



Some philosophers assert that the seasons, at least 

 throughout the northern hemisphere, have gradually 

 increased in temperature since tlie periods of the earliest 

 records of history. Countries, they tell us, which an- 

 cient authors considered as uninhabitable, by reason of 

 excessive cold, are now teeming witli population, and 

 produce abundantly, not only the necessaries, but most 

 of the luxuries of life. A writer in Ree's Cyclopedia, 

 under the article " Climate," observes as follows : 



"CcEsar, Virgil, Diodorus, Siculus, Ovid, Strabo, 

 Pomponius Mela, Seneca, Petronius, Pliny the natural- 

 ist, Statins, llerodian and Justin all speak to the same 

 purpose of the insupportable cold of the winter in the 

 latitude of from 44 to 50 degrees, between Gaul and the 

 Eurvine Sea. The descriptions they concur in giving are 

 such as would at present suit those countries which lie 

 between 50 degrees of latitude and the polar circle; and 

 iu some respects they exceed the cold of the winter in 

 Sweden and Norway ; and could at present only bo real- 

 ized in Lapland, Siberia, and those regions of America 

 tlmt lie to the north of Hudson's bay." After adducing 

 other authorities to the lilie purport, the author continues: 

 " Upon the whole it may be affirmed as an urniiiestion- 

 lion:;ble irulh that the soil, and the temperature of the 

 lands from Spain to India, and fiom the ridge of Mount 

 Atlas to Lapland and the remote parts of the north, have 

 in the course of ages, since the period of the oldest 

 historical monuments still extant to the present lime been 

 fiiadually subjcctedto a complete change, from the utmost 

 degree of miii.sluro and cold to a great degree of dryness 

 and warmth." 



Thesamc doctrine relative to the mean temperatuie of a 

 climate being raised by cultivation, iheclearing of forests^ 

 draining morasses, &c. has found able advocates in Dr 

 \V'illi;ims, author of a " History of Vermont," J(jhn 

 Young, Esq. of Nova Scotia, author of " Letters of Jig- 

 ricohi" and other writers of eminence. 



On llie other liaud some philosophors have contended 

 tJKit the mean or average lieat of no country has been 

 permanently elevated or depressed by the causes above 

 inculioned. We have neither time nor room to adduce 

 the facts and arguments, which have been put in requisi- 

 tion by those who believe that no changes, vvliicli man can 

 effect, will produce any permenent alteration in the mean 

 temperature of any part of the globe we inhabit. Among 

 others, Noah Webster, Esq. a high authority in philoso- 

 pliy, as well as in philology, has opposed the hypothesis, 

 which supposes that the mean heat of the climate in 

 North America Ins been increased by clearing and eulli- 

 vatin" the country. His opinions on this subject were 

 ex|ircssed in a woik read some years ago, before a philo- 

 sophical society in New Haven, which displays much 

 erudition and philosophical invostignlion. In this produc- 

 lion arc adduced many apposite historical liicts to prove 

 that tlie mean heat of the climates in several countries 

 both in the eastern and western continents, was as great in 

 ancient as in modern times. There are reasons for be- 

 lieving, that previously to the 15th century England was 

 favored with a warmer summer climate than she has 



enjoyed since that period. It is sufficiently apparent that 1 

 at one time vineyards were very common in England : 

 and that wine in very considerable quantity was made 

 from them. Tacitus states that vineyards were planted 

 by the Romans in Britain ; Holinshed quotes the permis- 

 sion given by Probus to the natives to cultivate the vine, 

 and make wine from it. The testimony of Bede,— the 

 old notices of tythes on wiue, which were common in 

 Kent, Surry, and other southern counties,— the records 

 of suits in the ecclesiastical courts,— the enclosed patelies 

 of ground attached to numerous abbeys, which still bear 

 the name of vineyards,— the plot of ground called East 

 Smithfield, which was converted into a vineyard, and 

 held by four successive constables of the Tower, in the 

 reigns of Rufus and Stephen, " to their great emolument 

 and profit," seem to remove all doubt that the climate 

 of England was once warmer than it has been for a cen- 

 tury last past.* 



The following facts and argunients may likewise be 

 adduced in favor of the supposition tliat the mean tem- 

 perature of no tract of country, taken for a series of years, 

 is liable to be altered by any changes which the art or 

 laborof man can effect. Caloric, or the matter of heat, 

 is now admitted by philosophers to be a fluid, and its 

 principal source or fountain is the sun. All equal portions 

 of the globe, lying in the same latitudes, must receive 

 equal quantites of caloric from the sun. The calorific 

 rays may be reflected, transmitted or absorbed, but can 

 neither be increased, diminished nor annihilated by any 

 power short of the fiat of Hni who created them. If a 

 mass of iron be heated red hot in a furnace, and cooled 

 in air or water, not a particle of heat is lost; it is only 

 communicated to the medium by which it is surrounded. 

 If the calorific rays which emanate from the sun light on 

 thick woods or waters, their heat is mostly absorbed. 

 Every leaf and every drop of water become little reser- 

 voirs of caloric, which they yield again to the atmosphere 

 when it has less heat than is contained in those reservoirs. 

 It is a well known fact that water in freezing gives out 

 a portion of heat during the process of congelation. This 

 heat is the cause of water's being a fluid, instead of a 

 solid, in which last state alone water would always be 

 foimd if deprived of calorie. This heat, given out by 

 water while freezing, according to Dr Black, is so great 

 that If it could be transmitted to and imbibed by an equal 

 quantity of water of the temperature of 32 degrees of 

 Fahrenheit, the latter would be heated no less than 140 

 dcrecs, or to 172 degrees. In autumn, after what we 

 call the fall rains, the ground is full of water, and this 

 water, together with that of streams, &c. being congealed 

 in part by the frosts of autumn and the fore part of win. 

 tcr, gives out to the atmosphere that portion of heat, 

 which was necessary to keep it in a fluid state. The 

 heat thus extricated retards the approach of extreme cold 

 weather, till the surliiee of the soil and of the waters are 

 frozen. This, no doubt, gave rise to the common remark, 

 " As the days begin to lengthen the cold begins to 

 strengthen." But it is well known that when the surface 

 of the soil is covered with wood, especially evergreens, 

 it is less penetrated by frost, or, in other words, there is 

 less ice iu the ground, and of course less lieat given out 

 during the process of congelation in nature's vast labora- 

 tory in November and December. Again, when liie 

 I ground thaws in the spring, it absorbs calorie from the 

 I atmosphere, and thus retards the approach of warm 

 Kcallur in the spring. And the more open a country is, 

 other things being equal, the more frost there is in the 

 soil, and the heat necessary to expel this frost must be 

 obtained from the sun's rays, the atmosidierc, &e. before 

 we can have uniformly mild weather. 



If the above data are correct, the following important 

 conclusions follow : 



1st. Tlie mean temperiiture of a climnlc will not be 

 affixted by clearing and cultivating the country which 

 the climate embraces. 



2d. The extremes of heat and cold will be greater in 

 a country which is cleared and cultivated, tlian in one 

 which is covered with forests. 



3d. The approach of cold weather in autumn and tht 

 fore part of winter, and that of warm wealln r in tlit 

 spring and fore part of summer will be retiirdcd by di. 

 vesting a country of its woodland, and exposing the sur 

 face of the soil to frost and sunshine. 



Lastly. Both seed time and harvest, on an aver.igi 

 for a series of years, will be later, other things beinj 

 equal, in a country principally stripped of its woodland 

 than in one which is in a great measure covered will 

 forest. 



Hybrid Tobnip.— The account given in this day' 

 paper of Dale's New Hijbrid Turnip has been befor 

 published iu the New England Farmer, vol. x. p. 2$" 

 We give it again on account of its connexion with thi 

 proceedings of the Mass. Agr. Society, and for the benef i 

 of subscribers, who may not be in possession of that vo 

 ume. Some seeds of this vegetable have been distribute 

 from the Seed Stoi-e connected with the office cf the P' 

 E. Farmer, but we have not learned whether they liaT 

 been cultivated with success. 



TO SUBSCRIBERS AND CORRESPONDENTS. 



Our readers will be so good as to twn an attentive ej ' 

 to the list of Premiums on page 23G, ofi'ered by our lil I 

 era! patrons who compose the Rhode Island Society /i i 

 the Encouragement of Domestic Industry. 



It is hardly necessary to apprise our readers of tl i 

 improvement made in the appearance of the Farmer n 

 this week ; being printe'd with entire new type. W 

 shall continue it in the present improved cond'itioit. 



We would kindly intimate to subscribers indebted f 

 a number of years that the present time forms a sort 

 epoch in our linancial concerns, and their small sums da^ 

 remitted about this time, would not only compe-tt win 

 our convenience, but minister to our necessities. 



As we have recently had a very considerable accessii 

 of names to our subscription list, we would inform the 

 that we have all the numbers of the present volume, ai 

 ifthey wish a perfect volume, they can be supplied 

 subscription prices. 



Several valuable favors from correspondents unavoi 

 ably deferred till our next. 



The notices of the proceedings of the Mass. Agrici 

 tural Society have been delayed to this late period, 

 consequence of the manuscript having been mislaid. 



' English Quarterly Review. 



MASS. HORTICULTURAI. SOCIETY. 



EXHIBITION OF FBUITS. 



Paturiliiy, Jan. 31. 



By Mr John Heard, specimens of an apple, suppoi 

 to be a native variety ; the scions were taken from a tl 

 in Ipswich, which was a bearing tree more than si; 

 years since. Jlrlleard has called it the Ipswich Apf 

 Size large; flesh very tender, juicy and rich; color f 

 red and yellow, striped with a still darker red— an cxc 

 lent fruit. 



By Mr Ruggles.of Fall River, Cork Russet; the sa 



variety was exhibited the ITtli. Mr Ruggles stiid tl 



had been touched by frost, and were not fair specimen. 



For the Committee. P. B. IIOVEY, Jn. 



