Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1856-01-19
AGRICULTURAL BENEFITS OF
SNOW

SNOW.
1t is with some feelings of regret and discom-
fort, that farmers, as well as other nen, regard
the approach Of winter That during several
months, there must continue an cxhaus,iug drain
upon the accumulaiions Us the year, without any
replenishing streams to counierbalance its effects
is fact not pleasant to contemplate, especially
if an individual happens to be strained in sup
ply. Hence, when a storm Of snow occurs ear
w in the season, as one did in this locality, on
the twen,y-fNh ul,., the inquiry naturally arises
Of what benefit is suowl We see It's evil effects
in the wre,ched state in which it places our
roads in the strained and broken manner il
leaves our trees, especially if it comes, ms in
this instance, before they have been deloliated
by the wind and frost in the downcast and
sorry look it gives to all animated nature, man
included.
1t is not our purpose to assert the value ofan
uniimely snow any more than that Of an uniimc-
Is frost. Any one Of the phenomena Of nature
may be attained with evil consequences, how
ever beneficial aud necessary in a general way.
Too much rain or too little, 20 backward
season or too forward and thousand things
generally beneficial, may be specially injurious.
Nature works by general laws and in their i'm
partial administration, does not stop to inquire
whether or not this mans seed is sown, or that
mans harvest is secure.
Snow, in laiitudes, where the temperature is
sufficiently low for it TO fall is Of vital impor-
lance to vegetable life. lis peculiarly porous
structure renders it an exceedingly bad conduc-
tor of caloric; and hence, and greatly differing
in temperature from the snow itself, or from
surrounding objects, it requires a long period of
time for the equilibrium TO be restored.
IL the earth becomes early covered with snow
and before the ground is frozen, it will remain
above freezing poin, the entire winter, even
though the Atmospheric temperature should 60
down many degrees below zeru. So decided is
its protection, that C the soil be penetrated with
/ fros, 10 tie depth Of several inches before the
fall Of snow comes on, the callrc Of the subsoil
will remove the frost, Notwithstanding the at
mosphcre has not at any time risen much above
freezing point. The ground had been frozen
like stone, before the snow fell upon IT, the
weather continuing for many weeks below lreez-
7 ing point; and yet afterwards, on removing the
snow. the ground was found ihawed out, and
U
reason was give for this circumstance, viz that
the snow was warm, and had ihawed out the
ground, instead Of the true one, that its non
conducting properties had intercepted the radia-
ion of the heat from the lower strata of the soil
and this, acting upon the upper stratum, had re-
moved the frost.
Alpine plants, that oullive the soverest win
tiers OF mountain districts because protected bv
snow, have persisted in the comparatively warm
climate Of England, for want Of such protection.
We had good illustration of the genial infu-
ences OF snow in our own country last winter
! The Thermometer went down to point unpre-
cedented in our history, being no less than TWEEN
80 f---------
cord of sixty-seven years, and for how long a
period previously, II is impossible to tell. OF
course, the peach crop was utterly ruined, aud
orchards, which were wont to yield hundreds Of
bushels Of splendid fruit, produced this year,
nothing but leaves.
At our horticultural show, however, there
were exhibited several magnificent specimens Of
! peaches, which upon inquiry, were found in ey-
cry instance TO have been produced upon limbs
that had, by fortunate accident, been bent
down and covered with snow-drift Thetem-
perature in their position did not probably fall
10 zero ana !, they could nave laid upon the
! ground, would barely have reached freezing point
We car" d 'n,s severe PERIOD was nan''ed
IVA " "e1'y '1'i' ""u we t'enno'e al 'he posi-
1'' e,"'S' l''n'es W1'eH might nave ensuea IN
Va'o '''o s''u"0 nau pee" exposed ana denuded'
:, VS. '"s rus u'u "o' pcneua'e TO an IN
usual uep'''' anu 'ne ""el' heios ana inc mead
c"s ea'e 'u' !" "'e SPRING i'esn and green
''',, ''i. "ng WINTER s'uhioers'
sess m, r-ni,c,i0 '' a,'- 80 9''o"' i 70 pos
y,,,or rha Nc'''~I ~ '"'"
NV s'"uu'' "'""ci vi l's meIN'nS u