The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1912-08-12
SUMMER NORTH AND IN FLORIDA

Greater contrasts could hardly be
afforded than those between Florida
and the North in the matter of the
weather during the past six weeks
or so. June 5 heavy frosts destroyed
the gardens and fruit crops SO far
South as Pittrburg. People North at
that time and up to a week or SO ago
still wore light overcoats and other
wraps every evening. Snow fell in
Maine. At that time we were ex-
periencing very warm weather,
though none suffered by it to dan
ger0us exten.
Cool weather continued up North
and the last two nights of June quite
heavy frosts imperiled the Massa-
chusetts cranberry boys. besides do
ing other damage. BY this time cool
er weather was making Florida a Par
adise again. While all down here
were cOngratulating each o'her on
the agreeable weather in Florida, it
suddenly turned warm up North and
those who were shiverinS with cold
there less than week before were
Frustrated with heat and some OF
them died. Every day added to the
number slain by the suns fierce heat
up there, while here the people here
were showing all the sprightliness Of
q Florida winter under the influence
o. entirely temperate weather.
OF course there is a reason for all
this. In fact, there are several rea-
sons that is for the fatal heat at least.
The cold weather of early summer
which made 80 many up North long
to be in Florida again might have
been due to the immensely of the ice
fields out in the North Atlantic,
reaching down nearly or quite to the
latitude of Boston. The sudden ac-
cess of heat has another explanation
Two years ago the Times Union
showed by figures taken from the
Almanac that the days in summer
are longer and, conversely, the nights
shorter in the North than they are
in the South. Boston has one hour,
| seventeen minutes more of sunlight.
the same amount less Of absence Of
sunlight not counting the longer
twilighe therc-than Jacksonville
on Midslmmer's day a total of more
than two and a half hours. No won
der it is hotter in the North in the
summer than in Florida The sun
shines no more holly in the South
than in the North II shines for
more than an hour and a quarter
| longer up North.
Another cause for the intense heat
OF summer in regions where much
coal is burned all the year is alleged
by some scientists. Coal in burning
throws off not only smoke but great
volume Of carbon dioxide. commonly
| ~ 11aI rbO 10 a.sxl h:
dioxide which is naturally heavier
than air, rises, ii is claimed under
the influences Of heat just as water
vapOr does and forms a perfectly
transparent layer In the upper at
mosphcre through which the rays Of
heat and light pass freely. but, like
glass, is Is opaque to reflected heat
and confines it much as the sashes
Of cold frame or greenhouse confine
the heat Of the suns rays passing
through them. vapor of water has
the same effect.
The South burns comparatively lit
tie coal. Factories are fewer and
there are not SO many days when our
homes need fires. II the hypothesis
mentioned above were correct il
ii would. with the difference in the
amount Of sunlight received by tn
two sections. explain why Northern
summers are warmer than Southern
II might also help to explain the
queer circumstance that the same
man who does not feel a temporal
ture of say 81 degrees at all unhear-
able in the South will yet die of that
degree of heat in a Northern city =
The Fla Times-U Union.