Calendar of Vegetation, ire, by C. S. Rafinesque. 77 



Professor Bigelow infers, " that the difference of season 

 between the northern and southera extremities of the country 

 is not less than two months and a half." " Difference of 

 longitude does not seem very materially to affect the Floral 

 Calendar within the United States." It appears, that in the 

 same year peach-trees were in blossom at Valencia, in Spain, 

 about the 19th of March ; the apple-tree near London, May 

 8th ; the cherry-tree and pear-tree at Genera, in Switzerland, 

 April 3d. 



We hope that this research will be prosecuted in the man- 

 ner it has thus been happily begun. It evidently affords an 

 excellent criterion of the actual temperature, on a scale more 

 extensive than it is practicable to obtain from thermometrical 

 registers. 



Floral Calendars kept in various parts of the United States 

 would afford very interesting information, as to the changes of 

 climate in particular places ; a common topic of popular re- 

 mark, but generally with few and inaccurate data. 



Art. XVI. A Journal of the Progress of Vegetation near 

 Philadelpha, between the 20th of Ferhuary and the 20th 

 of May, 1816, with occasional Zoological Remarks. By 

 C. S. RafineSque. 



X HE importance of observations on the annual progress of 

 vegetation is obvious, and, as connected with agriculture, 

 gardening, &.c., eminently useful. Comparative observations 

 acquire a particular degree of interest, when made by skilful 

 observers, at the. same time, but at different places. Dr. 

 Bigelow, of Boston, issued a circular, proposing that such con- 

 temporaneous observations should be made in the spring of 

 1817 ; and 1 wish that his request may have been attended to, 

 when the collection of those observations may afford valuable 

 materials for an American Calendar of Flora. The blossoming 



