Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-05-01
What a Terrible Year 1915 Was
Frost, Ice and snow I'm July-Wheat
and Germ Failed 40 Ripen-COrn IS

What Terrible Year 1915 Was
Frost, Ice and Snow I'm July-Wheat
and Corn Failed 10 Ripen-COrn SIS
BnsheI.
From the Ami erst IN. H. Farmers Cabinet
Almost everyone has heard tell of. the
terrible dark year in the earlier part of the
present century, which old New England
farmers refer to as eighteen hundred and
starved TO death" A contributor gives the
following information:
While everyone is speaking of the present
season as being remarkable in its character
istics, have gathered for your readers
some reliable facts of the year 1916, known
as the s'year without summer" Few
persons now living can recollect it; bat it
was the coolest ever known throughout
Europe and America. The following is
brief abstract of the weather during the
year.
January was mild-so much so as to
render fires almost needless in parlors.
December previous was very cold.
February was not very cold; with the ex-
ceptiOn of a few days it was mild, like its
predecessor.
March was cold and boisterous during
The first part of it; the remainder was mild.
A great freshet on the Ohio and Kentucky
rivers caused great loss of property.
April began warm, but grew colder as the
month advanced, and ended in snow and
ice, with temperature more like winter
than spring.
May was more remarkable for frowns
than smiles. Buds and flowers were frozen,
ice formed half an inch thick, corn was
l.;lia1 .nd Ha fiaIdc ruoro a0aiT and o0oiD
planted until deemed too late.
June was the coolest ever known in this
latitude. Frost, ice and snow were CON-
mon. Almost every green thing was kill
ed. Fruit was nearly all destroyed. Snow
fell to the depth of 10 inches in Vermont,
several in Maine and three in Central New
York, and also in Massachusetts,. Consid-
cradle damage was done at New Orleans in
consequence of the rapid rise in the river;
the suburbs were covered with water, and
the roads were only passable in boats.
July was accompanied by frost and ice.
On the 9th ice was formed, of the thick
ness of common window-glass, throughout
New England, New York and some parts
Of Pennsylvania. Indian corn was nearly
all destroyed; some fsvorsbly situated fields
escaped. This was true of some ofthe hill
farms of Massachusetts.
August was more cherries if possible
than the summer months already passed.
Ice was formed half an inch thick. Indian
corn was so frozen that the greater part was
cut down and dried for fodder. Almost
every green thing was destroyed both in
this country and Europe. Papers received
from England stated that it would be re-
membered by the present generation that
the year 1916 was year in which there was
no summer. Very little corn Iipened in
New England and Middle States. Farmers
supplied themselves from the corn produced
in 1915 for the seed of the spring of 1917.
It sold a. from 81 to s. per bushel.
September furnished about two weeks of
the mildest weather of the season. Soon
after the middle it became very cold and
frosty, and ice formed a quarter of an inch
thick.
October produced more than its share of
cold weather; frost and ice particularly.
November was cold and clustering.
Enough snow fell to make good sleighing.
December was quite mild and comfort
able.
The above is brief summary of "the
cold summer of 1916" as it was called In
order to distinguish it from the cold season.
The winter was nd. Frost and ice were
common in every month OF the year. Very
little vegetation mstured in the Eastern and
Middle States. The suns rays seemed to
be destitute of heat through the summer;
all nature seemed to be clad in sable hue,
and men exhibited no little anxiety con-
corning the future of this life.
The average wholesale price of flour dur
ip1 that va ~ in the Philadelnhia narkat
was thirteen dollars per barrel. The aver
age price of wheat in England was ninety
seven shillings per quarter.