3

Concord, Mass.
1916
April 4
to
July 9

of cold and heat, as so often happens in Massachusetts.
There were, however, snow storms that covered the ground to a
depth of an inch or two on April 9 [April 9, 1916] & 14 [April 14, 1916] and 28 [April 28, 1916] and rather hard frosts as
late as the 15th [April 15, 1916]; while the average temperature throughout both April &
May must have been considerably below normal. The
retarding influence of these conditions was evidently not offset
by the favoring effect of much brilliant sunshine and frequent copious
rains, at least as regards vegetation which advanced only very
tardily and continued a week or more backward up to at least
the middle of June, although botanists & horticulturalists are
given to asserting that it invariably attains about the same
stage of development by the 1st of that month, whatever may
have been its condition at earlier dates that year. 
  Most of our flowering plants retained their blossoms considerably longer
than usual. As late as May 16 [May 16, 1916] all our cherry trees, many
peach trees and a few plum trees were still in full bloom,