Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1880-02-25
This and Other Winters.


have just been reading DR.. Cutting:
article in the last FREEMAN concerning
our mild winter, and giving many inter
esting facts concerning other winters. II
seemed little funny. though, for him t.
speak Of the continuous sleiehing" Of
this winter. for here in the vicinity of th,
Mad river valley and its contiguous hill.
our sleighing has been like angels visits
and the lack of it has been serious i'm
pediment to the lumber interests whl,l
assume large proportions in this vicininy
| have kept no written record of the
weather, but know that the thermometer
has been higher than 50 degrees above
during the present winter at our residence
though as did not write it down at The
time. | should not dare to state the exac
figures: probably we have a warmer loca
ton than where DR.. Cutting made hi:
observations.
1t is n noticeable fact that the Mad river
valley and its surrounding hills have mucl
less snow than in other towns of Washing
ton county. Three times during the pres
ent winter, when we have crossed the
mountain into Mortified and Roxbury,
We have found double the depth of snow
on that side the mountains, and when VIC
have thaws it thaws more here than il
does there. l don't know how to account
for this higher temperature and less snow
on this side Of the mountain, but know il
to be fact, not only this winter, but
every winter. We are near high mount.
ain ranges Lincoln Mt, being, think, the
fifth in magnitude in our mountainous
state. Will DR.. Cutting explain the reason
why we have higher temperature and less
snow than our neighbors fifteen miles
away, in any direction?
l have often heard my mother tell of the
snow storm in June, 1916, which summer
has been called the "cold summer"
There was frost every month, 1 have
heard her say. At the time of the snow
storm the grain was well up, and the trees
leaved out about half way up the mount
ain. The snow lay on the ground two or
three days before it was quite gone, grain
was frozen down 10 the ground, and the
cattle roamed dlsconsoatc and hungry
not every farmer, nor indeed many, had
anything to feed them. Very few raised
crops enough TO supply their families that
season. | have heard my mother tell of
one spring when the snow was so deep
that they had to draw the sap tubs on Il
hand sled into the woods, when they tap
ped the sugar place, the 18th day of April,
rs neither oxen or horses could be used.
do not know what year this was, but
think it was about fifty years ago. The
deepest snow l ever remember was in
1869; we had no thaws all winter and the
snow went off by the sun mostly, but
there were some pretty large drifts the
first of May, on the hills. When our men
tapped the sugar orchard they placed the
tubs even with the snow, and when they
were gathered it needed n tall man to
reach some Of them.
In the winter of 1868 we had but little
snow up to March, MS DR.. Cutting states,
and it showed nearly every day in March
and up to about the 10th of April. The
10Th day of March it thawcd heavily,
raincd with considerable thnnders, after
that not much warmth until the 10th of
April, when the snow was even with the
fence-tops and many had not tapped their
yet on the 26th day of April
our men were planting potatoes in straw
hats and shirt sleeves, and it was good
settled going.
The winter of 1872 was similar to our
present winter; sugaring commenced
about the first of March, and proved an
excellent sugar season. 1t remains to be
seen whether this spring shall prove similar
10 that one, as this winter has.
LAURA B. BoYCE.