198 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



July 



not have. An old ewe's fleece, not other ways de- 

 generated, is known by its shortness, coarseness 

 and thinness of staple, with a dry, harsh feeding, 

 cotted and felted bottom ; or, if this is not the 

 case, the staple is rendered very weak and tender. 



Tyro. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 A "NOTE" FROM VERMONT. 

 Spring-time— "What it Demands. 

 Messrs. Editors : — It is now with the farmer 

 the most important and busy season of the year, 

 — seed-time and harvest. Mid spring-time most 

 of all demands the earnest thought and labor of 

 the husbandman. Such it is with us at the pres- 

 ent time. The season thus far is full two weeks 

 in advance of that of last year, sowing is nearly 

 done, potato planting considerably advanced, and 

 the planting of corn will soon be at hand. And, 

 notwithstanding the price of labor consequent on 

 the scarcity of field hands the present season, I 

 think full an average of ground will be tilled, — 

 machinery so far as practicable being employed to 

 supply the deficiency in hand help. 

 The "Weather. 



The weather at present date is very favorable 

 for the rapid growth of vegetation. Such copious 

 rains, followed by a warm, genial sun, are enough 

 to give life and animation to every living thing. 

 It is shower and sunshine that make vegetation 

 laugh — laugh and grow fat in an increased full- 

 ness of the products of the field. 

 Thunder Shower. 



While I write, the thunders roll in the distant 

 west, foretelling in unmistakable tones an addition- 

 al showering of Mother Earth, the farmers' boun- 

 tiful benefactress. Well, we'll welcome it as the 

 "mercy drop" to vegetable growth, and the "ele- 

 vating" element to its final perfection. 

 "Later." 



It rains and hails, with vivid lightning and 

 heavy thunder. How cool and refreshing ! How 

 green the grass ! Nature seems renewed. 



I. W. Sanborn. 



Lyndon, VL, May 10, 1864. 



June the Time to Prune Fruit Trees. — 

 E. D. Wright, in the Genesee Farmer, contends 

 that June is the proper season to prune fruit 

 trees, offering as the ground of his faith the fol- 

 lowing reasons, which we put in a condensed 

 form : 



1. A limb being cut off before the growing sea- 

 son, both wood and bark will dry and die back 

 where the cut is made. What it thus loses while 

 waiting for the growing season must be made up 

 by the growth of new wood when that season ar- 

 rives. Nature undertakes to heal the wound by 

 growing it over with this new wood, but much 

 time is lost before it will grow up from the point 

 where life still remains, between the bark and the 

 wood, to the place where it would be if the cut 

 were" made in May or June, instead of February 

 or March. 



2. Where a limb is cut off before the growing 

 season, and before or at the time of the spring 

 flow of sap, the sap must come to the surface 

 where cut, and there be evaporated or fermented, 

 leaving the wood sour and lifeless, and liable soon 

 to rot. 



• For the New England Farmer. 

 METEOROLOGICAL RECORD FOR APRIL, 

 1864. 



These observations are taken for and under the 

 direction of the Smithsonian Institution. 



The average temperature of April was 42° ; av- 

 erage midday temperature 48°. The correspond- 

 ing figures for April, 1863, were 43° and o'2\ 

 Warmest day the 27th, averaging 52° ; coldest 

 day the 5th, averaging 27°. Highest tempera- 

 ture, 62° ; lowest do., 16°. 



Average height of mercury in the barometer, 

 29.22 inches; do. for April, 1863, 29.23 inches. 

 Highest daily average, 29.47 inches ; lowest do., 

 28.88 inches. Range of mercury from 28.81 

 inches to 29.4S inches. Rain orfnow fell on thir- 

 teen days ; amount of snow 17 inches ; amount of 

 rain and melted snow, 4.10 inches. Nine stormy 

 days, with 2 inches of snow, and 1.92 inches of 

 rain and melted snow, in April, 1863. There 

 were two entirely clear days; on seven days the 

 sky was entirely overcast. 



On three different occasions during the month, 

 the winds have run high. The difference of tem- 

 perature, also of rain and snow, between April 

 this year and last, will be noticed with interest. 



Latitude 43° 22' N. Longitude 72° 21' W. 

 Height above the sea 539 feet. 



Seeing some meteorological summaries and com- 

 parisons in your columns, from a Brandon, Vt., 

 observer, it occurred to me that some few items 

 from my own records would be interesting in 

 themselves, and also as comparing them with those 

 from Brandon. 



I shall consider the winter to include November 

 and March. 

 Winter of Av. Temp. Ami. of Rain and Barometrical 



snow. melted snow, areraiie. 

 1859-60. 26.8° 64 96 ins. 9.71 ins. 29.28" ins. 



1860-61. 27° 115.25 " 17.85 " 29.214 " 



1861-62. 22.8° 105 " 15.02 " 29.196 " 



186263. 27° 74.25 " 14.22 " 29.318 " 



1863-64. 28.4" 84.75 " 16.37 " 29.248 " 



Suppose we now take the months separately. 



NOVEMBER. 



1859 I860 1861 1862 1863 



Average temperature 37° 40° 36° 37° 40° 



Average midday temperature.. 47° 45° 40° 42° 45" 



Barometrical average 29.37 29.15 29.11 29.25 29.22 



Amount of snow 3.75 6.00 10.00 7.00 



Amt. of rain and melted snow. 1.87 3.28 1.54 1.05 3.55 



DECEMBER. 



Average temperature 18° 22° 27° 25° 22° 



Average midday temperature... 23° 27° 33° 30° 27° 



Barometrical average 29.33 29 25 29.29 29.28 29.36 



Amount of snow 30.56 43.25 17.00 11.00 17.50 



Amt. of rain and melted snow. 3. 57 3.58 1.90 1.59 4.00 

 JANUARY. 



Average temperature 23° 17° 19° 27° 22° 



Average midday temperature.. 30° 22° 23° 32° 28° 



Barometrical average 29.26 29.23 29.23 29.35 29.22 



Amount of snow 7.75 34 50 29.00 26.75 14.00 



Amt. of rain and melted snow. 0.48 3.97 3.25 3.66 2.35 



FEBRUARY. 



Average temperature 21° 26° 19° 22° 26° 



Average midday temperature.. 27° 33° 27° 29° 32° 



Barometrical average 29.31 29.21 29.25 29.41 29.31 



Amountofsnow 16.25 15.50 31.00 14.50 14.50 



Amt. of rain and melted snow. 2.28, 2.98 3.10 3.12 1.75 



MARCH. 



Average temperature 35° 30° 32° 24° 32° 



Average midday temperature. .41° 36° 39° 32° 36° 



Barometrical average 29.14 29.23 29.10 29.30 29.13 



Amountofsnow 7.25 16.00 18.00 15.00 38.75 



Amt. of rain and melted snow. 1.51 6.50 4.82 4.80 4.72 



I have here given the amount of rain and melt- 

 ed snow which indicates the real amount of water 

 which has fallen during the given time. I give 

 the midday temperature, because by it we can 



