1861. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



419 



ing on end, has lost over 24 per cent, in weight 

 in 12 days, (undercover this month, July.) I find 

 also, that other samples average a loss of 27 

 87-100 per cent., the greatest loss, (being longer 

 drying,) being 32 8-10 per cent. 



Thus it will be seen that birch and beech will 

 lose nearly one-third in weight by becoming sea- 

 soned. A cubic foot of green birch will weigh 64 

 pounds, (a little more than water, 62i pounds.) 

 A cord 8,192 pounds. A superficial foot 5.33 

 pounds. Wood Worker. 



Marlow, N. E., July, 1861. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 REMARKS ON CLIMATE. 



CONCLUSIOH. 



Upon the premises stated in my first letter, I 

 will try to analyze a few of the most prominent 

 elements in the world, and show the cause of their 

 stability or instability. The North American con- 

 tinent has a variety of climate, diff"erent from all 

 other parts of the world, because its ranges of 

 mountains and valleys are diff"erent. In the older 

 portions of the continent exist lofty mountains, 

 and these skirt the shores of both oceans, while 

 between these two portions of our continent ex- 

 ists a newer portion of land, which, after the 

 mountains were raised above the sea for a long 

 time, was covered with the waters of the ocean, 

 and became a regulator of climate between the 

 Gulf of Mexico and the Arctic Ocean, carrying 

 the waters of the gulf to the Arctic Ocean 

 through this channel, instead of the bed of the 

 Atlantic, where the Gulf Stream now runs ; giv- 

 ing our continent an entirely different climate 

 from that now existing. At the commencement 

 of the Tertiary Period, Sir Charles Lyell informs 

 us, that the Gulf of Mexico extended to near the 

 site of the present city of St. Louis, and for more 

 than a thousand miles, the land has been formed 

 since the beginning of the Eocene Period, till its 

 surface has assumed its present form. In the 

 Carboniferous Era, the polar regions probably en- 

 joyed a mild climate, as the tropical waters leav- 

 ing the Gulf of Mexico passed through that por- 

 tion of our continent between the Rocky Moun- 

 tains and the Alleghany range, pouring the tropi- 

 cal waters into the Aixtic Basin, and forming a 

 climate of sufficient warmth and humidity for the 

 production of an enormous vegetation. Remains 

 of that vegetation exist there at the present day. 

 The skating parties of Capt. McClure discovered 

 on the north of Banks' Land a range of hills 

 composed of one entire mass of wood in every 

 stage, from petrifaction to a log fit for firewood ! 

 Many trees were among it, but were too much 

 decayed to stand removal. In the vicinity the 

 bones of musk-oxen and deer were found.* This 

 shows conclusively that a milder climate once ex- 

 isted there. The existence of coal has also been 

 discovered there. But a later upheaval has dis- 

 united these waters, and produced a mighty 

 change in climate, not only on this continent, but 

 in Europe. As our continent now exists, the 

 changes in the temperature of the weather must 

 forever be enormous. From the extreme heat of 

 summer to the extreme cold of winter, the change 

 is probably beyond the extremes of any other 



* Annual of Scientific Discovery for 1854, page 316. 



part of the world. I am speaking now of that 

 great plain existing between the Alleghany and 

 Rocky Mountain ranges. The under current of 

 air passes freely without any obstructions from 

 the Gulf of Mexico to the Arctic Ocean, and from 

 the Arctic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico. These 

 two opposite currents of air are capable of pro- 

 ducing enormous vicissitudes in the climate of 

 that otherwise lovely valley. It is subject in sum- 

 mer to a tropical climate, and in winter to an 

 Arctic one, while, at anytime, a sudden change of 

 wind may produce a contrary eff'ect in a very 

 short time. The lower current must necessarily 

 come from north or south. And the tropical wind 

 from the eastward is frequently deflected by the 

 highlands west of the Gulf and the Rocky Aloun- 

 tains, carrying the heat of the warm waters of the 

 Gulf of Mexico through this immense valley, 

 while the Arctic winds are conducted south by a 

 similar cause. When this valley was submerged, 

 the Gulf Stream did not exist in its present chan- 

 nel, but flowed through this valley. Then Eng- 

 land, and the west of Europe, would have had a 

 climate like the present climate of Labrador, had 

 not other conditions operated more favorably. 

 Then Labrador had a climate more delightful than 

 the present climate of England. 



As I said before, the climate of America is gov- 

 erned by different laws from tlie climate of i he 

 eastern continent, because its physical geography 

 is different. The western winds, as they pass over 

 the Pacific Ocean, bring the heat of the waters on 

 the western coast, forming a most delightful cli- 

 mate, varying but little in temperature from 30° 

 to 4.0° of latitude, having the summer tempera- 

 ture of New York city, 40° 45' latitude, of 70° heat. 

 The annual mean temperature of Nantucket in 

 latitude 41° 17' is represented by the isothermal 

 line of 50° temperature ; it strikes the Pacific coast 

 at 48° north latitude, 15° further north on the 

 Pacific coast than on the Atlantic. The winter 

 temperature of Virginia in latitude 36° 30' is rep- 

 resented by the isocheimal line of 40°, and strikes 

 the Pacific coast in latitude 49° 13' further north 

 than on the Atlantic. The isotherial line or lines 

 of equal summer heat, attain their highest point 

 of latitude at 110° west longitude, and their low- 

 est on the Pacific coast. The isocheimal line or 

 lines of equal winter temperature are highest in 

 latitude on the western coast, and lowest at from 

 90° to 95° west longitude. This is the longitude 

 of Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa and Min- 

 nesota. This shows that those States are a little 

 colder in winter than the same parallels of lati- 

 tude on the Atlantic coast, and much colder than 

 on the Pacific. The lines of summer temperature 

 commence rising from the Atlantic coast gradual- 

 ly to about 90° to 95° west longitude, then they 

 rise abruptly to the Rocky Mountains at 110° 

 west longitude, their maximum height. This 

 shows that from 90° west longitude, the extremes 

 of heat and cold increase far into the valleys of 

 the Rocky Mountains, while on the west side of 

 the mountains the coast climate varies but little 

 from 30° to 45° of latitude. There is but little va- 

 riation in the annual and winter lines of temper- 

 ature from the Atlantic coast to 90° west longi- 

 tude, yet the temperature rises quite rapidly in 

 the Southern States, while from Long Island, it 

 rises rapidly to Troy, N. Y., and then passes a 

 little south of west through Lake Erie, when it 



