﻿Progress of Vegetation in the Ohio Valley. 



115 



PROGRESS OF VEGETATION IN TEE OHIO VALLEY. 

 By Prof. Jos. F. James. 



The spring of the present year seeming so backward, and many 

 thinking that other springs have been much in advance of this, a 

 review of a record kept of the early flowering plants for eight years 

 may now be of interest. The first appearance of flowers is a more 

 reliable indication of the condition of the weather and of the tem- 

 perature than the thermometer. Plants indicate the general aver- 

 age of climatic conditions, and the species appearing in much the 

 same sequence indicate the progress of spring. In the table here 

 presented, of fifteen species of the first flowers which generally ap- 

 pear, quite a number of facts are to be noted. It is to be noticed 

 that every alternate year is a cold year, or one at least with a back- 

 ward spring. The years 1874, 1876, 1878 and 1884 are forward 

 ones, while 1875, 1877, 1883 and 1885 are backward. If the 

 years 1879, 1880, 1 88 1 and 1882 could be tabulated in the same 

 way, it is probable that 1880 and 1882 would show a forward and 

 1879 ar| d 1 88 1 a backward spring. In 1874, eleven out of the fif- 

 teen were found between the 19th and 26th of March. In 1876, 

 nine out of the fifteen were out between February 12 and March 

 14. In 1878, the eleven of which there is record were out between 

 March 3 and March 18, and in 1884 the thirteen recorded were out 

 between March 16 and March 30. These were the forward years. 

 Then in 1875 fourteen out of fifteen were out between March 30 

 and April 1 1. In 1877 two were our - on March 4, and none others 

 until the 1st of April, and between that and the 12th there were 

 twelve in bloom. In 1883 two were out on March 4, next one of 

 March 13 and then ten between April 6 and April 12. Lastly, in 

 the present year, the first flower appeared on April 1, and thirteen 

 others up to April 20. 



Account is here taken of only fifteen species. More than these 

 fifteen appeared in each year in the time mentioned, but no record 

 of them is here considered. The species named may be regarded 

 as the typical early flowers, although there are others which may 

 be nearly as early. 



The earliest year of all the eight is 1876. In that year the 



