The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1883-06-14
YEAR WITHOUT A SUMNER.

During q cold spring like that
which II drawing 10 AN end, people
generally CONSOLE themselves with the
reflection that tile sun will eventually
get the victory, and that summer will
certainly come nj last, though its COM
ing may he delayed. Uncertain IA
the weather is, the general features of
the season recur with n regularity
which warrants the confidence thus
repss-ed in the annual return Of seed
time aud harvest but their are in
stances on record i'm which even the
seasons Sc EN- Ia have lost their cilarac-
teristic features, as IL the ordinary
laws IL nleteoroloey had been temper
ally suspended. A remarkable case
Of this kind, and one which the long
continued cold weather Of this spring
makes particularly interesting just
now, is that Of the year of lsl6. which
has been called the year without a
Summer" 4 communication printed
In the CbsgreydtiondiiSt. gives the fol-
lowing summary of the weather of
this remarkable year:
January aud February were mild.
March was cold. April began warm,
and ended in snow aud ice. Ice
formed an inch thick i'm May, and
fields were planted over aud over
aeAiu until il was too late to replant.
June vas the coolest ever know i'm
this latitude frost and ice common
Alnsoet every grs,en thing was killed
fsuit nearly all destroyed. Snow fell
tD the depth Of ten inches in Vermont
seven in Maine. three in the interior
al New York, and also i'm Massachu.
srtts. There was q few warm days.
IL was called q dry season. But little
min fell. The wind blew steadily
from the north, cold and fierce
Nothers knit extra socks and mittens
for their Children In the spring, and
vOnl-piles that usually disappeared
during the warm spell, in front of
houses, were steadily built up again.
Planting and shivering were done
Together, and the farmers who
worked out their taxes on the country
suods, wore oyercoats and mittens
In . town in Vermont, q fiock Of
sAsep belonging Ia q farmer, haai been
seat - usual totheir pasture. A great
Wany died of cold. On the 18th Of
June, . heavy snow storm ragged i'm |
New England. The cold was intense.
A hrWef Who had o large field Of |
coFn, In Tewksbury, built fires around |
q Il night, to ward otfth frost. Many |
- evening he and his ueighlOrs took |
tugns watching them. He was re-
v1r1esa with the only crop Of corn i'm /
tAe aeighbofhood. Considerable dam. /
80 was done In New orleans in con-
sequence Of the rapid rise Sf the Miss.
t13ppi river. Fears were entertained
ehAf the sun was cooling of, and
eAroaghosi New England, all picnics
were strictly prohibited.
Jnly Was accompanied with trust
- ICE. Indian cnrn was nearly all
1esfroyed; some favoFably situated
49, esnpesi. August vas more
uAssgsea, 60 possible, than the sum-
Der months which preceded Il. Ice
- fbrnsed half an inch In thickness.
[01kAn ccrn Was 20 frozen, that the
gsea1ee pArt was cut down and dried
- ts1Aes. Almost every green thing
- asslrDyed In this country and In
D1sope. On the 30lh, snow fell at
1afoe3. f0ety mikes from London.
He9y litt1e corn ripened In New Eng
- and the Middle States. FarmefsI
nQq1ied themselves from corn pro-
D1esa = lsls 80 ed In the spring Of
~. 70 nj & ftV0 - 10 Is per
0spae0hes furnished about two
vonks q the pleasantes1 weather u
- onsna. bat In the later part Of the
DpneA - 6aemea IN Inch thbck. o.
soes - usore than liz share Of cold