The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1909-06-10
EFFECTS OF FROSTS
State University Expert Gives
interesting Information in Re.
gard to Crops Of Wisconsin
INFLUENCE OF SMALL LAKES


sin with view Of protecting various
crops from damage, has been made by
James L. Bartlett, sometime assistant
professor of meteorology at the Uni
versity Of Wisconsin, who has just
published the results in bulletin
now in the university press.
After discussing conditions produc-
ing light and heavy frosts and the
Skilling' frosts so destructive to farm
produce, the bulletin gives several
tables and maps showing the average
dates Of the first killing frosts in
various parts of the state, and the
local weather conditions attendant.
A valuable and interesting feature
of the work is that of the actual grow
| ing season in different parts of the
state. The average dates Of the latest
spring and the earliest autumn frosts
for forty-seven districts in forty
| three counties are tabulated, showing
the average and the extreme limits of
the killing frosts in the regions Of
the bake Superior shore, the northern,
middle and southern interior, the. Mis-
sissippi river bottoms, and the Lake
Michigan and Green Bay shore.
cit is possible that the high eleva-
ton of the northern interior portion of
the state is partly responsible fer it's
liability to frost says Prof. Bartlett.
"Many points in that section have an
elevation Of 1000 to 1880 feet above
sea level, and of 500 to 1000 feet
above the Great Lakes, making them
somewhat more liable to low tempera-
lures at night than are places Of
less elevation.
The strong influence Of small lakes
| in the prevention of frosts in the
vicinity is shown by statistics of the
district about Lake Winnebago and
Big Buttes des Morris lake. It was
found that the growing season Gree
from killing frosts) is LAT days at
Oshkosh, 146 at WATERFOWL, 142 at
Chiffon and 131 at Fond du Lac. At
Madison, which is situated between
Mendoza and Monona lakes, the growing
season is month longer than at Har-
vey, which is directly east of Maai-
son, nearer Lake Michigan, but away
tfrom the influence Of small lakes. It
lis suggested that like Immunity from
frosts can doubtless be found around
many Of the small bodies of water in
the northeastern part Of the state.
Though data as to the limits Of the
! lighter srosts in Wisconsin are not
abundant, it is safe to assume, Prof
Bartlett says, that light frosts may
occur ON the average two or three
weeks after the last killing frost in
the spring and the same length of
time before the first killing frost of
autumn.
| During seasons when frosts may
cause damage to crops, warnings are
telegraphed from the weather bureau
office at Chicago to numerous centers
Throughout Wisconsin and. from thence
distributed by mail or telephone, so
that anyone on telephone line should
be able to obtain such warnings by
noon of the day before the frost is
Eexpeeted. As the predictions are of a
general character, for large sections,
and intended for the protection Of
more important crops, they may not
always apply to particular locations.
Copies of the weather maps upon
which the predictions are based are
issued at Milwaukee, Madison, La
Crosse and Green Bay, as well as at
Duluth and st. Paul in Minnesota,
Dubuque in Iowa, and Escanaba in
Michigan.