The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1889-03-22
Eighteen Hundred ana starve to Death


twenty-five cents.
Eighteen and staryef TO Death.
Mr.. MONITOR: | herewith send a clip
ping from the OHsaAa World which I
think will be read with interest since we
have just experienced the miIdest winter
within our life time, but we hope not to
see another such summer as is described
in the following article. Yours Truly,
B. b.
1.-THE open winter of 186S-'S9 will have
a companion when the history of the cent
nry is written. The year 1916 enjoyed an
s.open winter during the entire twelve
months being frequently referred to by
eonteinporaneeus writer's as the year
without a summer All through the set
tied portions of the United States there
was a frost in every month, crops were
ruined and farmers called it the year of
Eighteen hundred and starve to death"
Snow fell in November of 1915, but there
was none in December or January to speak
of. Christmas and New Years were
warm, open and green" . ana faithful to
the old saw that "a green Christmas makes
a fat cburchyard. The old people predict
ed all sorts of dire calamities and the results
would justify it. January was a very
mild month, the sur shone every day, and
a little snow that fell hardly covered the
earth and soon melted.
People prepared for great storms and
extreme cold weather in February, but
were disappointed as it was even milder
than January. Toward the end of the
month and during the first days of March,
a terrible storm ragged and gave place to
cold and boisterous winds. The weather
in January was repeated in April, but grew
colder as the days passed, ending with snow
and ice and very low temperature. In
May ice formed an inch thick on the rivers
and streams, buds and flowers were frozen,
and the entire corn crop was killed. Frost.
ice and snow we're common in June, and all
attempts to raise vegetable products failed.
The condition of the farmers is described
as being desperate, and they were compel
led to hoard their crops of the year proceed
ing and necessitated a big increase in prices.
Almost everything was killed, and the fruit
was nearly all destroyed.
July was accompanied with frost and ice.
The fourth was cold, aad a clustering
wind. raw and uncomfortable, swept the
entire Atlantic coast. Ga the following
day ice was formed of thickness of window
glass in New York City. all through New
England and in Pennsylvania. In August
ice half an inch thick was frequently seen.
September and October presented the near
est approach to summer weather than anv
other month in the year, but in November
extreme cold weather began, and a severe
winter continued up to April, when sum-
mel began and permitted the farmers to
realize bcunteeus crops.
The same condition of affairs existed in
England as in this country, only it was
not so severe. In Central New York, it is
stated. corn was so badly frozen In the
summer that it was cut down and dried for
fodder. The warm weather in January so
encouraged a Vermont farmer that he
planted corn, ana IN Iact some OF IL was IN
good condition during March. Farmers
were compelled to pay 81 or s. a bushel for
the corn of 1915 for feeding purposes.
Ella Wheeler Wilcox says that if she
were asked to define the meaning of a sue
cessful man, She would say, "a man who
has made a happy home for his wife and
children. No matter what be has not done
in the way of achieving wealth or houors,
if be has done that he is a grand success.
If he has not lone that, and it is his own
fault. though he be the highest in the land,
ha IL 4 tnnsf niriahia iaiinre wnndpr