100 TWENTIETH ANNUAL REPORT ON THE STATE CABINET. 



It is indeed true that the equinoxes occur in March and Sep- 

 tember, but the eiFects of the disturbance could hardly reach us 

 short of a week or ten days ; and the averages above given are 

 made out for the calendar months. But if we should make the 

 average for the thirty days commencing with the equinox, the 

 result would not be materially difterent. Naturally we have more 

 precipitation of vapor in summer than in winter. This is seen in 

 the above statement. But we also see the fact that there is an 

 increase from March to April, being in the month after the equinox 

 nearly double what it was the month before ; and also the other 

 fact that there is more in October than in Septem])er, 3.122 against 

 2.499, notwithstanding it occurs in the season when the amount 

 is decreasing towards its winter mininuun. 



6. Finally, we notice in the spring, commencing May 25th, an 

 arrest of the increasing warmth, and in fact a retrocession for 

 about sixteen days until June 12th, and a similar arrest and retro- 

 cession of the increasing cold in autumn, from October 28th until 

 about the 10th of November. It has been a matter of general 

 observation that we have a frost in the last of May or the first of 

 June, and the "Indian summer," as it is called, is an acknow- 

 ledged " institution " of our climate. But the fioures and diao'ram 

 before us put these things into a more definite form than I have 

 ever seen them in before. The temperature increases quite regu- 

 larly from the time of the greatest C/ld in February up to the 

 24th of May, when it reaches in the general average 63.29 deg., 

 with a maximum for the day of 84.5 deg., and a minimum of 42 

 deg., and with about the same maximum and minimum for the 

 next day, it falls off" in the general average to 60.84 deg., and 

 does not reach 63.29 deg. again until June 12th, a period of eigh- 

 teen days. During this time it falls in the general average to 57.32 

 deg. for May 28th ; it then rises to 62 deg. and something over, 

 for the last day of May and the first three days of June, and then 

 falls to 60 deg. again for several days ; and the average for the 

 whole eighteen days is 60.60 deg., or nearly three degrees less 

 than that for the day preceding this period or for those succeed- 

 ing it. 



So in the autumn. The weather grows cold very regularl}^ witji 

 the advance of the season, until October 27th, when it is 41.54 

 deg., with extremes of 69 deg. and 28 deg. The next day the 

 averao^e rises to 45.17. desr., with extremes of Q(\ deij. and 30 desf., 

 and does not reach 41.54 deg. again until the 10th of November, 



