262 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



*'Ei3KUAR\' 25, ISSS. 



jsrjsw s2s?<siL^sg'2B' sjASiSffisma 



BOSTON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, FKB. 25, 1835. 



COLD WEATIIISR. 



[Cunliiiued from page S54.] 



I have snid tliat the air being; heavier and more dense 

 in valleys is capable of containing move cold and frost. 

 And I frankly confess I am somewhat a lieretic with 

 respect to the theory that cold or frost is a mere nega- 

 tive of heat. From a long- course of observation on the 

 efi'ects of frost on the various phenomena connected 

 u'itli it, I have been led to the opinion tliatfrost is some- 

 thing ]>ositive, something material, capable of attracting 

 and being attracted. .\nd I tliink the various pheno- 

 mena of frost are more easily and satisfactorily ex- 

 plained by this hypothesis than on the other. 



I know that air, being a conductor of heat, v.'ill 

 sometimes when rapidly applied to a substance conduct 

 oft' the heat, so as to produce frost. But this does not 

 prove that frost is not material. It only proves that 

 when the heat, the antagonist principle of frost, is draw- 

 ing off, frost as a substance makes its appearance. 



In the spring and fall, when we are afraid, from the 

 coldness of the day, that there will be frost, if a brisk 

 breeze springs up towards night or in the evening, our 

 fears cease, and no frost ensues. 



Every person, who makes much observation respect- 

 ing the effects of frost, knows that in the fall, when 

 cold weather conuiicnce.s, that in a field of potatoes, a 

 slight breeze of air will protect the hills a little elevated 

 above the oihcrs, while those hills not more than three 

 feel from them, and depressed si.\ inches below them 

 BO tliat they cannot feel the influence of the breeze are 

 much injured — the higher hills breaking the force of 

 the breeze npon the lower. 



Every person in Vermont knows that the frost falls 

 later in the spiing, and earlier in the fall in the valleys 

 than on the hills, unless there be a fog in the valleys to 

 ))revent it. And there is almost always less motion in 

 the air in the valleys than on the higlilands. Why in 

 these cases should not the brisk air on the hills conduct 

 off the heat so as to prevent frost, while it lights on the 

 lower ground, wiien there is scarce any motion in the 

 air. 



I will mention one more fact in connexion with this 

 subject. Some years since I saw in the paper that a 

 person hung a pail of water on a favorite fruit tree, 

 uhile in lilo.ssom, to protect it from frost. At the time, 

 I supposed that if it could have any effVct it must be by 

 creating a miniature fog. 



Now for the fact — a few years bince I was delibera- 

 ting where 1 should place some early potatoes for seed, 

 so as to heep theui from frost, and from being mixed 

 with other potatoes. I was advised to put them into a 

 cellar, where there was a water cistern ; this was the 

 coldest cellar under my house. But 1 adopted the ad- 

 vice, and have pursued the practice, ever since. On 

 the 4th of January the water froze over in the cistern, 

 and within two days the ice was from one to two inches 

 thick. I then thought of my potatoes, and supposed 

 them worthless. But they were not touched by the 

 frost. Was this because the air conducted the heat 

 from the water to the potatoes .' If so why did it not 

 conduct the heat from the potatoes .' Was it not rather 

 that the water attracted the frost, if a material thing, 

 with greater power than the potatoes possessed.' 



I have stated the foregoing facts, that you and your 

 readers may make the most and the best of them, and 

 not to support any vague theory of my own. And as 

 It is not my intention nor wish to disturb the lono- re- 



pose of the theory alluded to, I will stop here, and 

 subscribe myself. 



Your obedient sevant, 



Jan, 14, IS^r*. A Vermonter. 



P. S. Since \iriting the foregoing, the jVc?o Eng- 

 land Farmer^ of Jan. 2lst has come. And to 3'our 

 annoyance, and possibly that of your readers, I have 

 read the communication of A. G. in it, upon which I 

 wi.«h to submit a few remarks. 



"\ A. G. says that the greater density of the air is the 

 cause of the greater degree of cold in the valleys. I 

 certainly shall not quarrel with this, for it is the only 

 reason I have assigned for it in calm weather. 



But I am not satisfied with his reasons for that effect. 

 He says that air is a great conductor of heat. That is 

 true. But how does this, by itself account for the 

 greater degree of cold in the valleys. From what, at 

 such times does it conduct it .' As to this we are left in 

 the dark. It may, if possible, conduct it from the frozen 

 earth, colder than itself But at any rate, the heat 

 which it conducts from the frozen earth, must be in 

 very small quantities, and a very cold kind of heat. 



Although the air frequently robs us, in these hyper- 

 borean regions of more heat than we well know how 

 to spare, yet 1 doubt, whether we ought to charge all 

 the inconvenience we feel from frost to the air. 



A. G. says in answer to Mr Breck's second question 

 that he thinks if there had been wind on Sunday morn- 

 ing there" would have been very little difference in the 

 cold, in the valleys and on the hills ; and adduces the- 

 oretical arguments in support of his opinion. But these 

 arguments are in direct opposition to the facts I have 

 stated — facts well known in Vermont since the multi- 

 plication of thermometers. 



The causes assigned for cold and frost are, generally, 

 mere theory, and piesent the finest topics imaginable 

 for disputation, as they cannot be brought to the 

 " searching" test of facts. 



By the Editor. — The facts above stated by our respect- 

 ed correspondent, are, some of them new to us, and the 

 knowledge they convey may be of much practical utility 

 in agriculture and rural economy. We do not however, 

 altogether coincide with liirti respecting the causes of 

 some of the rffccts, which have met the attention of his 

 observing mind. Tor instance, we believe that cold or 

 frost is nothing but the want of or rather a less degree 

 of heat. Likewise we are of opinion that the heat 

 given out by water while freezing saved his potatoes 

 from frost. But we have not at present, time nor room 

 to give the reasons for our belief; and this is not of 

 .much consequence, since facts are of much more import- 

 ance than theories. We hope, some time, to resume the 

 subject, with allusion to the valuable facts, with which 

 we have been obliged by '■ Jl J'crynontcr ;" and solicit 

 the continuance of his favors of a kind similar to that 

 for which v.-e are already much his debtor. 



Relations iviTii Fr.ince. — The last intelligence 

 from France gives reason to hope that m.atters in dispute 

 between the two nations will be settled amicably. The 

 French Chamber of Deputies acknowledge the justice 

 of our claims, and appear disposed to comply with the 

 terms of the treaty in which the debt is guaranteed to 

 the United States. 



The Editor of the Louisville Journal has adopted an 

 excellent method of stopping the personal controversies 

 which so often creep into the journals of the south and 

 west. lie has determined npon charging two dollars a 

 square for every publication of the kind. 



Emigrants to Lieep.ia. — It appears from a statement 

 in the African Repository, that 2,tH(J colored emigrant* 

 have been conveyed to Liberia under the auspices of 

 the Colonization Society, since its foundation, 1,197 of 

 whom were from Virginia, 5S2 from. North Carolina, 

 3b7 ficm Maryland, 201 from South Carolina, 106 from 

 Georgia, 1C3 from Kentucky, 70 from Kew-York, 65 

 from Pennsylvania, 55 from Tennessee, 40 from the 

 District of Columbia, 32 from Rhode Island, 21 from 

 Louisiana, 10 from Mississippi, 8 from other States, and 

 2 native Africans. 



Dfs Townsend and Dean have been elected Conault- 

 ing Surgeon.s by the Board of Trustees of the Massa- 

 chusetts General Hospital. 



College fou Ladies. — The Kentucky Legislature 

 has conferred upon Messrs Van Dorcn's Institute for 

 Young Ladies, in Lexington, the chartered rights and 

 standing of a College, by the name of Van Doren's Col- 

 lege for Young Ladies. 



■Judge Mellen, lately retired from the office of Chief 

 Justice of the Supreme Court of Maine, having arrived 

 at the constitutional limit of age for that station, his 

 70th year. 



Young Marey, one of the Convent rioters, has been 

 sentenced to three da3's solitary, and confinement in the 

 State Prison for life ! • 



MASS. HORTICUL.TURAL. SOCIETY. 



Fatmd.iy, Feb. 21, 

 From Mr Manning, a basket of the Danvers Winter 

 Sweet, or Eppes Sweet, the same kind exhibited on 

 a former occasion : a native; oneof the fairest and most 

 valuable and productive Sweet Apples yet known. 

 For the Committee, 



WILLIAM KEiNRICK. 



Mr Thomas Mason of Charlestown V"ineyard, exhib- 

 ited the following Flowers ; 



Pasonia moutan Banksia; Azalcaindica; Azalea pur- 

 purea ; Iris chinensis ; Camellia pompone ; Comas alba ; 

 Gnaphalium glomeratum ; Salvia fulgens ; Polyanthus; 

 Roses; Viburnum tines ; Primula ; Geranium ; Stocks, 

 &c. By order of the Committee, 



JONA. WINSHIP. 



To Correspondents. — A number of valuable articles 

 intended for this day's paper, are of necessity postponed 

 to our next. 



THERBEOMETRICAI/. 



[Hepoitttl lor llle iXew KnalaiiJ larmtT.) 

 Range of Thermometer at the Maverick House, East 

 Boston, in a shaded Northwesterly exposure, free 

 from the wall. 



HORTICULTURAL, REGISTER &, GARD]£KKR'8 

 MAGAZINE, 



For March, will be publishetl on Mendny next. — 

 containing articles of unusual interest and usefulness, 

 witli a splendid COLORED PLATK of the CANTUA. 



The (leniand lor this piiblicatitin, and the interest 

 manifested by Correspondents, render the expectation 

 of a large edition quite certain ; and subscribers AviU be 

 supplied from the commencement of the volume, 



GEO. C. BARRETT. 



