The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1865-03-02
Letter rrOm Columbus.
Correspondence of Cincinnati commercial.l
CoLUMBUs, Feb, II. 'G5.
OHIO STATISTICS.

OHIO STATISTICS.
The Governor on Thursday, trans.
mittcd to the General Assembly the
manuscript report of Mr.. Mansfield,
State Commissioner Of Statistics, for
the year 1864.
While many OF the facts set forth
by the Commissioner may be found in
other documents, the groupings and
comparisons are valuable, and the fol-
lowing condensed summary will be
found useful and interesting. both for
the purpose of general reading and
future reference.
The report opens with a section on
METEoRoLOGY AND CLIMAToLoGY.
Observations in this department, to be
valuable, should be recorded for &
long series of years Then they can
be compared and we get an average of
the temperature, fall Of water, winds,
&C., which enables the inhabitants of
any particular region of the country
TO know what amount of heat and cold l.,
wetncss and dryness they may reas-
onabIy expect in any given season
There are two general facts, however,
which greatly modify the advantage
which might be hoped for from these
averages:
First-Although *S have an aver
age Of the variable clements for half a
century, and know that the next half
century will, in general average, pre-
sent almost precisely the same results,
yet, any one year may exhibit wide
variations. For example, the year
1916 was year of remarkable cold
so much so that it has been mcmora-
bic ever since on that account. 1t is
quite PLAIN that no general average
will enable us to anticipate such sea-
son but on the other hand we do
know that as the general average va
ries but little from so deg. tcmpera-
turc, that the average of the year will
not rise to 55 deg. nor fall TO 45 deg.
In othcr words, VIC know by cstab-
lished scientific facts, that no such
great clSange will take place as will
destroy or materially impede vegcta-
ton. Such being the case, we may
rely on the scientific as we'll as scrip.
tural Genesis Sth Chapter, 22d verse J
assertion that "While the earth re-
maincth, seed timo and harvest, and
cold, and heat, and summer, and win.
ter, and day and night, shall not
cease"
Secondly 1t is equally true that,
while we know that the general aver
age of the year must be neal, say 50
deg, it may happen that any particu-
lar day or week may be extraordi.
narily cold or hot In the year 1864,
we have a remarkable example of that
fact, in the very extraordinary cold of
the first part of january, 1864. Most
persons will remember that season.
The record of the cold daysas recorded
by myself at Morrow, Warren county,
was as follows: The observations were
taken near Z oEo2k, AM, and indi-
Gated the coolest point reached in the
day time. "A
ianHary l07 below zero
January A. below zero
january l2o above zero
january 4."'' lG' above ZerO
january ib ntoNe Zcf0
january " above zero
lon,nry 7...... ~-,.................. above zero
january 2 above zero
January w'ow zero
january 4 above zero
The average was three degrees
above zero. PROBABLY no other ten days
in half u century, in this latitude
can be found with an average tempe
rature so low.
The Commissioners attributes much
ofthe damage done to vegetation at
the time abeve alluded to, to the
SiddenncSS Of the change. As q con,
sequence of this sudden cold time. The
peach crop was entirely cut off. ant
tho unprecedented phenomenon was
witnessed Of peaches sold in the Gin
cinnati market from Delaware anC
Maryland.
EfORMs.
Tho general theory of storms az
now received by scientific men is
that each one is whirlwind, begin
ming in some one point, and moving
in concchtric circles until it is exhaust
cd by expansion, .
Tables are given Of the general avo
rage of climate at Kclly's Island
Portsmouth, Cleveland and Cincinnati
from which it appears that the aver
ago oftemperature was, at
Keilys Island .........".........."...." 20 or
| Portsmouth ............. % l3s
| Cleveland bO5SO
Cincinnati ''.''' 05uZO
The combined general average wa
$500 degrees. l..
t... AGRTCULTURE.
The sudden change and severe storm
in the first part OF January, 1864, kill
cd all the peaches, and nearly all til
pears and cherries. The slime cause
in connection with. tho drouth in tn
early part of tho summer, destroyc'
fully one.half Of tho apple crop. Tn
whole fruit crop Of 1864 was mucI
smaller than for many years previous
Ohio, especially the Miami Valley
has many large peach orchards. O
these o large number of the older tree
were Killed by the frost, but tn
younger trees revived, and will doubt
less furnish an ample supply for til
future in favorable seasons.
The grape culture still continues I
excite great interest the Ives Seed
ling and Delaware being mentione