Marshall County Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1855-1859, 1856-02-07
Benefits of Snow.

Snow Is Of great Importance To vegeta-
ble life. Its peculiarly porous structure
renders it an exceedingly bad conductor Of
caloric and hence. when covering any.
thing warm or cold, and differing in tenn.
perature from the snow itself, or from the
surrounding object, it requires long pc.
ROD of time for the equilibrium to be re.
stored
If the earth becomes early covered With
snow, and before the ground is frozen, i:
will remain above the freezing point during
the entire winter, even though the atmos-
pheric temperature should 90 down many
degrees below zero. So decided is its pro-
lection, that if the sod be penetrated with
frost to the depth of several inches before
the fall of snow comes on, the caloric Of
the subsoil will remove the frost, notwith-
standing the atmosphere has not risen at
any time much above freezing point We
were, when a boy, much puzzled at this
phenomenon. The ground had been fro
zen like stone, before tic snow fell upon
it, the weather continuing many weeks be-
low freezing point; and yet afterwards on
renewing the snow, the ground was found
thawed out, and easily lf.ed with "A shovel
Of course boys reason was given for this
circumstance, viz:-that the snow was
warm, and had thawcd out the ground, in
stead OF the true one, that its non conduct
ing properties had intercepted the radi;:-
ton of the heat from the lower strata of the
soil, and this, acting upon the upper str;,-
tum, had removed the frost.
Alpine plants, that outlivc the severcst
winters of mountain districts because pro-
tec;cd by snow, have pclished in the com
para.ively warm climate of England fer
want OF such protection. We had a good
illustration of the genial influences of snow
in our own country last winter. The ther-
mometer went down to a pointunprecedcn'
ed in our history, being no less than tweii
ty-two degrees below zero, a point no:
reached for sixty yscven years, and for how
long period previously, it is impossible
TO tell. OF course the peach crop was ut
terlv ruined. and orchards which were wont
20 yield hundreds of bushels of splendid
| fruit. produced this year no.hing but leaves
At our Horticultural show, however, Their,
were exhibited several magnificent speci-
( Hicho 'i p't'Hco, WHICH upon Ait"HN : "eff
found in every instance to have Dcen pro-
duced upon limbs hat had b, fortunate
accident been bent down and covered with
a SNOW drift. The temperature in their
position did not probably fall to zero, and
if they could have laid upon the groand,
would barely have reached freezing point.
The earth at this severe period was man.
tied with heavy fall, and we tremblcd at
the possible consequences which might
have ensued in case the ground had beel
exposed and denuded. As it was, the frost
did not penetrate to an unusual depth, ani
the wheat fields and the meadows came
oul in the spring fresh and green from their
long winter slumbers.
A locality that experiences abunda 1t
falls of snow, which cover the ground uni
formly through The winter, will admit Of
the cultivation of many things that cannot
be grown in other places with lower tenn
perature, but destitute of snow: and many
countries would be, without It's protecting
influences, mere regions of waste and des-
1 olation- u obqsh Gazette