The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1854-01-18

winters in the neighborhoo6 of New
York and Boston are about as cold as at
Frankfort, Basle or Zurich. and the
summers at least as warm, and yet after
all there is a difference which they can
not understand
The effect of this difference in climate
are seen as well in some of the most or
dinary operations of everyday life as in
its influence on certain trades. Our
German immigrants find to their aston
ishmcnt on washing-day that their
things dry full twice as quickly, even in
the depth of winter here as in Europe
Accustomed too to bake bread for fam
| lily use only once in some two or three
weeks they are necessarily surprised
when they discover that here on the Sc
cond or third day it bccames hard, dry
and unpalatable. German housekeepcrs
find, however, that this diyncss Of our
atmosphere has its advantages, inasmuch
as vegetables and fruits, of all kinds, are
more easily preserved throughout the
winter than in their own Fatherland.
The Hamburger, although it is colder
! here at Christmas than in his native
city, never sees those frosted windows to
which he has been accustomed from
childhood, there rarely being sufficient
moisture in our atmosphere to produce
them. " Many additional instances of
"tbe effect of the American climate, on
the ordinary routine of life" observes
NJ. Dcsor, might be given, and |
g. could also point out others where it af-
fects the person. For instance the
hair soon loses its natural moisture and
" becomes dry"
But there are other facts lually re-
markable. No sooner arc the walls Of a
building plastcrcd than the tenant may
move in without any fear of rheumatism
or those sicknesscs which would be the
inevitable consequence Of so doing in
Europe SO too tho plastcrcr himself
can lay on the second coat at once ;
while on the other hand the upholstcrcr
and pianoforte manufacturer must be
very careful in selecting their wood. for
what would be amply seasoned in Eu-
rope would soon crack and split here
SO many instances, however, in which
the dryness Of our atmosphere cxcrts its
influence on different trades and man
ufactures will naturally suggest them.
selves to our readers that we deem it
needless to point out more.
The number of rainy days in the
States, if We except perhaps England
and Norway, is not less than in Europe
generally. But here the air never re
tains the moisture no sooner does it
cease raining than the hygromctcr com
mences a. once to sink, and soon shows
that the atmosphere is as dry as ever.
This dryness of the American climate is
very readily explained by our savan. In
America, as in Europe, westerly winds
chiefly prevail They proceed, however,
to the coasts Of Europe, loaded with the
moisture which they have collected dur
ing their passage across the ocean.
Consequently, rain generally accompan,
les them. Here, however, the westerly
winds reach us only after passing over a
whole continent, and when they have
lost large portion of their moisture
Therefore they seldom bring rain with
them.
In considering the action of our eli
mate on animals and plants it would seen
as Button has observed, that while the
animals generally that have been intro
duccd here. have on the whole, rather
deteriorated from the present stock
plants on the other hand, have decided,
improved From this it is argued tha
America is peculiarly the continent fo
the vegetable, whilo Europe is that fo
the animal kingdom. Tie history, how
ever. Of the United States is of too re
cent date to afford any very jus
grounds Tor examining the modification
that he animal Kingdom may have uu
dcrgonc, and our author prefers rathc
looking at man himself.
In the most Eastern of the NewEr
f gland States. where the races have no
been so much mixed as in the more Gel
tral ones. we find that the original forl
and features Of the first settlers are er
tirely lost. that indeed, within the las
| two hundred years an American typ
, has been produced. That this is not tn
effect of any mixture of race is cviden
from the fact that where there has bee
4 the least mixture of race this America
. type is the most marked. We mus
consequently attribute it to the innuel
y ces cxertcd on the human frame by OF
climate Coarse hair, want Of flu
S mess of body, long neck and coloric
c " complexion" says NJ. Desor, = are vel
, " frequent characteristic of the y CIV Il
" glander, and that some of these d
Il pend on climate is seen BY the fact th
o ga trip to Europe will often give fulne
10 = to the frame and color to the chcc
!. "while the Englishman rarely grow
stoutcr but almost invariably thinn'
during his sojourn in America"
the dryncss Of our atmosphere too, \
Desor would attribute that fcvcrish q
h tivity which seems to belong peculiar
ic to the American. lie considers th
&c the want of moisture in the air may a
10 to some extent on the nervous systcl
or and supports his theory by noticing Il
re fact that n long continuance of a mort
ic east wind-thc wind that corresponds
re dryness with our westerly one pi
" duces the same kind of restlcssncss al
On activity among the inhabitants of t
nd Jura If a dry wind, blowing ior she
in time only among the Alps, can exert a
Mt such influence, We can easily imagl
H. that the comparative thorough dryn'
&c. of our climate may have something
an do with that constitutional activ
ed which is so rapidly advancing our peoI
be- Whether at the same time it really tel
mt to a certain, though gradual, deierio
his tion of the physical and mental syst'
cts is most important question TO VIII
raj | mo Al a,tnnt;,u ,f thaSn pf