Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1884-08-22
Agricultural,


There are fow parts Of the country less sub.
iect TO the IN effects OF drought than Vermont
The snow and ice accumulate and hold in 70
servo the greater pnrt Of the moisture precip-
itatcd upon the earth during nearly hnlf the
year. II rarely or mover happens That M"
ground is not saturated with moisture the
springs full and the water in the streams high
in curly spring. The beauty and freshness of
our groon hills at this time is a sure prospect
with every recurring season. In ordinary
years il fades but little till after the harvest or
not before the fall frosts, but for three sue
oesgve seasons, including tho present the
landscape has been promaturely Drowned by
severe drought. In other years we have had
plenty Of rain in this state while other parts
of the country were parched with drought
We remember at one time returning from the
west in the middle Of summer, when the grass
was so dry in Illinois as to crumble under the
feet. and until after Ohio was passed the
sward was parched and brown reaching Yer
mont, where there had been plenty OF rain
through the season, we found an agreeable
contrast in the beautiful fresh green verduro
that covered every acre within the range of
vision. But this time the condition appears
to be reversed, and Vermont is the dry state.
We do not hear complaints Of drought this
year except in a limited territory, including
the greater part of this state The crops in
the country generally are reported excellent.
Some parts of New England even had too
much rain the first part of this month In
consequence of abundant rains, large sec
ond crop Of grass will be cut in Maine and in
parts of Massachusetts and Connecticut. A
Connecticut correspondent reports very lux
uriant growth of rowen in the southern part
of that state.
These are exceptional seasons for Vermont
Three successive years of 80 severe drought
may not occur again for a century, us per
hRps they may not have occurred for a cen
fury before, though there may have been sin
gle instances Of greater drought From OBJ
servations made at the Smithsonian Institute
and other authentic records of rainfall, it ap-
pears that dry seasons have usually, though
not uniformly, occurred in groups, as have
also the years in which the mean rainfall has
been above the average. Records kept by
DIR. Hiram Cutting of Lunenburg show that
the rainfall for each of the years 1861, 1862
and 1868 was more than ten per cent above
the yearly mean for % years and for the
four years following it was about ten per cent
below the average. These four years of de-
ficient rainfall were again followed by five
years of abundant rain, in which the lowest
fall for the year was nearly five per cent above
the average and the highest 4 I nor cont above.
The Smithsonian tables show that years in
which the quantity of rain falling in the sum
mer months has been the least have occurred
near together if not successfully. Having
had here, in location less liable to drought
than most other parts of the country, three
extremely dry seasons IN three successiy,
years, the chances are that for years follow
ing we shall have the usual quantity of rain
or moro than that, during tho summer months