Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1889-01-18
CURIosITIEs or THE WEATHER.
The Peculiarly Old Freaks of a New
England January

At Portland, Me-, on the morning Of Jan.
3, the buds on an apple tree were trying to
push their way out into the world.
A flock of wild geese was seen at Paw
tucket r. l., flying northward about 10
o'clock one morning-a rare sight at this
time of year.
The frost is out of the ground. A Hart
.ord Ct) gentleman sank a crowbar in his
garden fully two feet without finding any
frozen ground.
The mild weather has deluded the hens at
Bangor, Me-, into laying more eggs than
usual, and they are much more plenty than
Is common at this season.
twig from cherry tree, with dozen
ouds almost bursting forth, was carried into
Taunton Office. 1t is said that arbutus
buds are quite plenty at Mayflower hill in the
same city.
A game of base ball was played at Bellows
Falls VT, Jan. 4. The soil was as dry and
hard as in summer, and the air warm and
clear, the thermometer registering 90 degrees
1t noon.
Persons who are engaged in the lumber
business at Auburn, n. H., are getting to be
somewhat anxious in regard to their work, as
there is not any snow on the ground at the
present time to facilitate their operations.
Miss Harriet Hallem of Stonington, Ct,
QulUe IL DOuuueU Vi NlOl6lS Ill RdI-
den on the 31st of December and q day or
two previous Miss Emma Latham gathered a
humber Of dandelions in full bloom in her
yard.
Lyman w. Lord on Jan. 8 pIoughed an
acre of ground on the Newburyport city
farm Mr.. Lord, reports the ground on the
farm free from frost and states that no
trouble was experienced in the work, in fact,
1t was Just as easy as though it had been per-
formed in the spring instead of in midwinter.
The country roads are in a terrible con-
dition, and are literally knee deep with mud
in many places. A Meriden, Ct, man who
started for Massachusetts, with big iron
tank drawn by four horses, had to abandon
the trip when just beyond Hartford, and re-
turn home, leaving his wagon and load to
await q freeze.
The New Hampshire Sentinel received from
Thomas Grimes, West Keene farmer, box
containing numerous specimens of early
vegetation among which were clover roots
with large clusters of well formed leaves on
stems two inches or more in length, violets
with their buds pushing out, hollyhocks sew
eral inches in length, and several other plants
or weeds, which were evidently growing
well when picked.
When Capt. A. A. Fengar was at Bucks
port, Me-, with the revenue cutter Wood
bury, he told a gentleman of curious fact
which may interest the weather cranks and
give them chance for more prophecies.
Every day, no matter where the cutter may
be, in port or out at sea, Capt. Fengar takes
the temperatures of the water. He finds that
the general temperature at the present time
is 10 degrees warmer than at the same time
last winter. This is strong indication that
this is to be an open and warm winter and the
cutter officers look for very little cold wealth
er.
Judge William L. Foster, in an article on
the weather of 1888 in the Concord (N H.
Monitor, says; The very remarkable feature
of the weather for the year consists in the
great excess of the rainfall and the total
precipitation (rain and melted snow over
that of previous years. The rainfall was
2.46 inches which is 1927 inches more
than the average of the preceding 81 years,
and has only been exceeded once within that
period, namely in 1863, when the snowfall
was 1921 inches. Another remarkable fea-
ture is that there has been no sleighing this
winter, and the year closes with the ground
entirely bare. There were only two days on
which thunders and lightning was observed;
once in August and once i'll September.
1t is the 9th of January, says the Hartford
(Ct.) Times, and still the weather continues
unusually mild for a New England winter
Ever since the 18th of December the state OF
things, meteorologically mas been more like
pleasant latter half Of October than the
customary Christmas and first half of Janl-
airy weather There has been no sleighing
there is no frost in the ground; lawns are
green; the farmers report ground moles
plenty, as shown by their abundant newly
made efurrows-appearances not seen prob
ably, in Connecticut fields in January,
oftener than once or twice in a century, Eng.
lish violets are in bloom; garden columbines,
crocuses, and other plants are starting up in
new growths, in Hartford gardens, as in
mid-April and they are bound to be killed
by the severe winter weather that will inev,
itably come.