Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1880-02-18
fOI she Freeman
Our Mild Winter.
BY II. A. CUTTING.


reality its history since, commenced JAN
uary 1st, 1913. From that date to the
present we have had no winter like this.
Running back as best we can down
toward 1900, we find ii has had no parallel.
We have, however, during this period had
December without storm, and sometimes
quite pleasant. We have had January
without much frost, and some farmers in
Vermont have improved it by plowlng
their fields, but sooner or later every year
we have had .our winter; hence, as this
wear gives us both December and January
mild and pleasant, we may not so well
enjoy March and April. This year our
Temperature for November was up to what
October has sometimes been, and Deccm
ber ranged five degrees higher temperature
than December, 1870, which was considered
at the time very pleasant December,
and the average temperature has been
nearly three times the average temperature
of December, 1872. January is even more
marked, rs it has an average temperature
of about twenty-five degrees against an
average of about five degrees in 1873.
The depth of snow TO February list,
measured as it fell, is but thirty-live
inches, which is less than one-third the
usual amount, and less than it has been
any year since 1913; before that cannot
positively know, but have reason to le-
lieve, from all the records | can gather,
that it is less than ever before in New
England yet we have had an usual
amount of storm. For the same time we
have had It inches of rain, which, if it
had been snow, would have measured S8
inches, making the snow fall 1913 inches,
which would be more than the average.
From this you can see that the temperature
alone has made our winter mild and
pleasant. Many winters the range of
temperature is over 100 degrees. while
this winter the greatest cold has been
% degrees below zero, and the warmest
81 degrees above, or Il range of only "a
degrees. From this cause our sleighing
has been continuous, though the depth of
snow is as before stated very slight.
But February comes in with gale of
Is miles per hour. We have had only one
us strong for thirty-two years and that
was upon October 18th, 1870. Both gales
did considerable damage. The last occa
stoned . the loss of some lives in New
England, as it was in the midst of u rapid
fall of snow, and persons out lost their
way and the penetrating steady gale. with
temperature slightly above zero, made it
dangerous. What will the remainder of
our winter be? is the question frequently
asked, but which cannot be certainly an
swered.
1907 was reasonably mild without great
depth of snow until March, but the last
day of March the snow is said to have
been feet deep upon level, with immense
drifts everywhere, and it is recorded that
May lst Of that year the snow would
average / feet deep.
1915, March, April and May were
snowy months, s inches falling May 22d,
while the early part Of the winter was
mild
1916, snow fell 8 inches on the Sth of
June.
1919, March 25th and 26th there came %
inches of snow, and snow was very deel
through April, yet the snow fall was but
81 inches for the year. Mero was nc
sIcighing until january 8th.
1860, on the first of April snow would
average feet deep, though we had bu
80 inches us it fell, but it largely came the
lasi of the winter.
1862 was similar. March 18th com
mrnced a fearful storm which brought 2;
inches of snow April lsL the snow woul,
average j feet deep, yet we had an earl,
spring.
1868, we had 80 inches Of snow fall il
March, and ten days with the thermome
ter below zero.
1869, the snow would average 4 fee
deep April lst. us it fell mostly the last o
the winter.
1870 it was the same.
Now comes the query rs to the presen
spring, Shall we have great snow fall
Thee are several reasons why we thinl
not; among them is the fact that for ter
months we have had great rain fall
Though we have since winter commence
had little snow, we have had much rain
cold rain to be sure, yet it was more thai
usual amount Of storm. AS we seldom
have wet long continued in excess. or, Il
the saying Is, "ono extreme follow
another, we may not have unusual storms
All the winters mentioned were preceded
by light storms in fall and early winter
while this fall and winter our storms hav
been heavy, yet without much snow.
As an open winter is injurious to vegt
tatlon, so ii is to man and animals, and a
sickness is usually fatal with man, SO
will be with animals and with vegetation
if it continues thus until the end, So w
can but hope that we shall get some {
the oId.f,Nhioncd winter weather yet.
we do 10, it becomes all to look after thei
own health first, and then the health O
AL animals under their care, AS best the
can. Lice and vegetable parasites thriv
well and rapidly increase in open winter:
so farmers should look closely to thos
pests.