Mexico weekly ledger., 1883-06-14
THE YEAR WITHOUT A SUMNER.
The Story Of the Phenomenal Weather
that Followed the Cold Spring.
In 1916.

During cold spring, like that which |
Is just now drawing to an end, people
generally console themselves with the
reflection that the sun will eventually get
the victory, and the summer will certain
ly come at last, though its coming may be
DELAYED. Uncertain as the weather is,
the general features of the seasons recur
with regularity which warrants the
confidence thus reposed in the annual re
turn of seed time and harvest; but there
are instances on record in which even the
seasons seem to have lost their charac-
teristic features as if the ordinary. laws
of meteorology had been temporarily
suspended. A remarkable case of this
kind, and one which the long continued
cold weather of this spring makes partic-
ularly interesting just now, is that OF
the year 1916, which was called "the year
without summer" A communication
printed in the ICongregationalist gives
the following summary of the weather of
this remarkable year.
January and February were mild;
March was cold; April began warm but
ended in snow and ice. Ice formed an
inch thick in May, and fields were planted
over and over again till it was too late to
replant June was the coldest ever
known in this latitude; frost and ice were
common. Almost every green thing was
killed; fruit nearly all destroyed. Snow
fell to the depth of ten inches in Vermont,
seven in Maine, three in the interior OF
New York and also in Massachusetts.
There were a few warm days. 1t was
called dry season. But lite rain fell
The wind blew: steadily from the North
cold and fierce. Mothers knit extra socks
and mittens for their children in the
spring, and woodpiles that usually disap-
/ peared during the warm spell in front oi
the houses were speedily built up again
Planting anG shivering were done togeth'
er, and the farmers who worked out thei
taxes on the country roads wore over,
coats and mittens. In town in Yer
mont flock of sheep belonging to
farmer had been sent, as usual, to thel
pasture. On the 18th of June heav
$ snow fell in New England. The cold wa
: intense.
A farmer who had large field of cor
: in Tewksberry built fires around it
/. night to ward off the frost; many a
evening he and his neighbors took turn
:: watching them. He was rewarded wit
0 the only crop of corn in the neighborhoo'
: Considerable amage was done in Ne
Orleans in consequence of the rapid ris
Q of the Mississippi river. Fears were Ell
!. tertained that the sun was cooling OF
and throughs, ,ut New England all picnic
' were strictly prohibited.
July was accompanied with frost al
e ice. Indian corn was nearly all destro.
!, ed; some ia vorably situated fields e
: capped. August was more cheerless,
possible, thar the summer months Whit
t preceded il. Ice was formed half
T. inch In tilics ness. Indian corn was
+. frozen that the greater part was C
down and DIR led for fodder. Almost eve
At green thing was destroyed in this count
and Europe. On the 30th snow fell
s Barnet, forty miles from London. We
!, little corn ripened in New England a
Of THE Middl States. Farmers suppl
. themselves from corn produced in is
l. for seed in the spring of 1877. 1t sc
i at from 81 to S. per bushel.
J. Septemb ,r furnished about two wee
he of the plea santest weather of the seast
I. but in the latter part of the month
:. formed a,a inch thick. October had me
at than its share of cold weather. Novel
~ Der was cold and snowy. December "
s. comfortable, and the winter follow
x was mild.s Very little vegetation "
D. matured in the Eastern and Middle Stat
- The suns rays seemed to be destitute
n. heat during the summer; all nature
!" clad in a able hue; and men exhibited
little, anxiety concerning the future
= this life.
The average price of flour during
Is wear in thu, New York market was
per barrel. The average price of VIII
in EneIaut was ninety-seven shillings
quarter aBread riots occurred through
a Great Brit ain Id iSf7, in consequence
a.) the high pl ice OF the stan OF LIE.