Dr. Forry on the Climate of the United States, c^'c. 37 



of the United States, constitutes its chief chmatic peculiarity ; 

 and the comparison, if extended to the most favored situations 

 on the continent of Europe, and the various islands of the Medi- 

 terranean and Atlantic held in highest estimation for mildness 

 and equability of climate, is no way disparaging. A comparison 

 of the mean temperature, that of the warmest and coldest month, 

 and that of successive months and seasons, results generally in 

 favor of peninsular Florida. The mean difference of successive 

 months stands thus: Pisa, 5°-75: Naples, 5°-08 ; Nice, 4°-74; 

 Rome, 4°-39; Fort King, interior of Florida, 4o-28 ; Fort Mari- 

 on, at St. Augustine, 3°-68; Fort Brooke, on the western side of 

 Florida, 3°-09 ; Penzance, England, 3°'05 ; Key West, near the 

 southern point of Florida, 2°-44 ; and Madeira, 2°-41. The 

 mean annual range thus : Fort King, 78° ; Naples, 64° ; Rome, 

 62° ; Nice, 60° ; Montpelier, 59° ; Fort Brooke, 57° ; St. Au- 

 gustine, 53° ; Penzance, 49° ; Key West, 37° ; and Madeira, 23°. 



The want of instrumental observations until recently to indi- 

 cate with precision the actual or comparative humidity of the 

 atmosphere in Florida is to be regretted. That the air is much 

 more humid than in our more northern regions is sufficiently cog- 

 nizable to the senses. The deposition of dew, even in the win- 

 ter, is generally very great. To guard against the oxidation of 

 metals, as for instance surgical instruments, is a matter of extreme 

 difficulty. During the summer, books become covered with 

 mould, and keys rust in one's pocket. Fungi flourish luxuri- 

 antly. The writer has known a substance of this kind to spring 

 up in one night, and so incorporate itself with the tissue of a 

 woollen garment as to render separation impracticable. As the 

 rains however generally fall at a particular season, the atmosphere 

 in winter is comparatively dry and serene. The following ab- 

 stract of the monthly fall of rain at Key West is the mean of 

 five years' observations : 



January 1-82, February 1-34, March 1-98, April 1'09, May 

 6-34, June 2-39, July 284, August 3-30, September 4-35, Octo- 

 ber 3-33, November 1-49, December 1-13, Annual average 31-40. 



During six months, from November to May, it will be observ- 

 ed that the proportion of rain is but 8-84 inches, being little 

 above one fourth of the annual quantity. Now as in tropical 

 climates, a portion of the year is known as the rainy season, and 

 as the same quantity of rain descends in a considerably shorter 



