288 STORRS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 

BY, Ci SPAR LES: 
The meteorological observations made at the Station during 
1896 have been similar to those of past years. The Station 
equipment consists of the ordinary instruments for observing 
temperatures, pressures of the air, humidity, rainfall and 
snowfall, uniform with those used by voluntary observers for 
the United States Weather Service. In addition to the records 
made at Storrs, the rainfall for the growing season has been 
recorded by quite a number of farmers in cooperation with the 
Station. ; 
The total precipitation for the year (40.6 inches), as 
measured at Storrs, was considerably below the average yearly 
rainfall for this State. “The average for Connecticut from 
observers having records covering more than five years prior to 
1896, as given by the New England Meteorological Society, is 
48.5 inches. ‘The average at Storrs for the past eight years is 
44.2 inches, and the average from fifteen observers of the New 
England Meteorological Society in the State having records 
covering the five years prior to 1896 is 44.7 inches. ‘The 
rainfall was unusually large during the months of February 
and March, while April, May, and June gave an unusually 
small amount of rainfall. The rainfall throughout the re- 
mainder of the growing season was sufficient to keep up a fair 
growth of nearly all crops. The drouth early in the season 
was sufficiently severe to check the growth of grass and some 
garden crops, the hay crop being quite light. 
The temperature for January was much below the average, 
while February and March were about normal. The spring 
opened quite early, April and May being mild and favorable 
for farm work. The last damaging frosts in the spring 
occurred on the rst and 2d of May. ‘The summer season was 
notable for several periods of extremely high temperature. 
Most farm crops except hay made a very fair growth. A light 
