Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1909-08-06
An Unusual Vermont Summer.


The fact that have heard reports of
frosts in the higher attitudes in every
month of the present summer, the last,
very slight one touched Brandon
Sunday night, Aug. LIST; reminds me of
the account of the cold summer of
1S16-which was told me by my
mother-and was given her in little
diary, or journal that was kept by my
grandmother, Mrs. Mary Hawkins)
Bush, of Bristol, and who with her hus-
band and baby daughter came from
Deerfeld, Mass, in 1902, and was
among the earliest settlers. of that town.
The journey to the wilds was made on
horse back, following primitive bride
path by marked trees. The keeping of the
journal was begun in the girlhood days
of my grandmother and continued for
about twenty years in the new home,
some Of it being kept on little birch
bark books as paper was very choice in
those days. The year 1916 was the
coolest ever experienced by any person
then living, though the first months of
the year were unusually warm. Jan
uary was so mild that no fires We're kept
except while cooking, and there We're
only few cold days during the month.
| Spring like days were the rule tebru-
airy was not cold but had more cold days
than January. The weather was fine.
! March. from the LIST to the Sth was
windy and grew calm the second week,
going out like the gentlest lamb. April
came in warm but as the days grew
longer the air grew colder, and by the
= first of May there was winter weather
in good earnest with plenty of snow and
ice. In May every sign of spring had
vanished, ice formed an inch thick on
ponds and rivers. Corn that had been
planted early was thing of the past
Many farmers planted again in hopes of
a crop, but in vain The few song
birds that had arrived probably thought
they had made mistake for they soon
departed again. When the last of May
!
of foliage, and the spring flowers, us
ually so plenty, had been killed by the
cold, Then June, our beautiful month
of roses, proved to be the coolest of all.
Snow and ice We're as plenty as clover
blossoms now are. Several snow storms
occurred during the month, the heaviest
storm on the 10Th when snow fell during
"a hours, to depth of l0inches. Every
green thing vanished and all fruit was
killed. This cold season also prevailed
in New York state and Massachusetts
but less severe. 1t was also dry, very
little rain fell and springs and brooks
went dry. Stock had to be driven long
distances for water in some cases.
Cold north winds prevailed, bearing
snow squalls in plenty. Farmers who
worked out their taxes on the roads
wore overcoats and mittens, and
mothers knit warm wooden socks for
the children and those old enough to 90
to school We're supplied with mittaps.
One farmer who thought to force the
season by turning the sheep out to pas
ture, found 1t necessary to bring them
home on the day of the big storm when
he got lost and night came and he did
not return, and 1T was not till the third
day that he was found by a searching
party with both feet frozen, but still
living. Most of the sheep were found
persisted in the snow. My grand
father was very partial to a good gar
den, and by very presistant efforts, in
keeping up bon-fires the warm smoke
settling over the field he managed to
secure small crop of potatoes, also a
few other vegetables. One farmer got
corn to grow and ripen in another town
by the same process. Surely the year
of 1916 was rightly called 1.-The year
that had no summer
E. B. c.
/ Brandon, Vt