2IO MAINE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. TOO3. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 



Lat. 40° 54' 2" N. Lon. 68° 40' 11" W. Elevation 150 feet. 



The instruments used at this Station are the same as those used 

 in preceding- years, and inckide : Wet and dry bulb ther- 

 mometers ; maximum and minimum thermometers ; rain-gauge ; 

 self-recording anemometer, vane, and barometer. The observa- 

 tions at Orono now form an almost unbroken record of thirty- 

 five years. 



The month of March was the warmest reported for that month 

 for 35 years, being 9.°43 above the mean of that period. The 

 two succeeding months were also warmer than usual, and much 

 early planting" was done. April proved exceptionally dry, while 

 in May less than three-fourth of an inch of rain fell. That the 

 latter conditions were not confined to the immediate vicinity of 

 Orono may be seen from the table given on page 212. As a 

 result of the drought, many early plantings failed to germinate, 

 and when the growing season had fairly begun, the late frosts of 

 May and June caused much damage. If the fall frosts had not 

 been delayed beyond the usual time, many crops would have 

 failed to mature. The rainfall for the year was nearly seven 

 inches below the average. As a result, winter found but little 

 water in the ground and the rivers low. 



Alterations upon the Experiment Station building made it 

 necessary to remove the anemometer during a part of September 

 and October; for this reason the wind record for these months 

 is incomplete and is not included in the following table. 



