The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-04-07
SNOW AND COLD
 FOR THIRTY YEARS
Ten Years Average Not Conclusive The Year '57 Very Cold and
 Famous for Deep Shows.
MILD WINTERS OF ,7s-,so.

S1 menting upon my letter of March 20, relative to old-fashioned winters, and while do not wish to dispute MT. At wood, would like to make a few statesments upon the specific instan- ces of severe winters and deep snow which he mentions.
 He first cites the winter of 1857. The month of January of that year has been famous for it's extreme cold and deep snow. It gave the lowest average temperature of any month ill the hfty-years record of the late Miss Ellen Larned. But on the other hand the month of February of the same year gave the highest February aver age of her record and also the high est absolute February temperature of the record-64 degrees. Miss Larn- ed wrote of it as follows:
 After that terrible January of 1857 we had the warmest February record After one descent to zero, merely from the force of habit, new atmosphere prevailed. Mild rains, soft gales and bright sunshine took the place of Arctic temperature Bluebirds appeared on the 24th and other spring birds before the end of the month";
 A correspondent of The Times writ ing over twenty years ago of the un- usual weather he rem en bered stated that the severe cold in January, '57, IT ary brought very mild weath her-over 60 degrees, with thaWs and floods. Thorean, the Concord naturalist, writ ing on the 18th of February, of that year, says:
 "The frost out of the ground and the ways settled in many places" So it would not appear as though the sleighing could have lasted very late in the winter.
 MT. Atwood speaks of a winter in the early sos when there was sleigh ing all winter; this probably refers to the winter of 18S0-S1, which has been often mentioned as a cold, snowy winter; much like that of 19O3-4. Records and tradition both mark the winter of 1S79-80 as one of extreme told me of building a. house that win ter and of pleasant weather at the time; no frost in the ground etc Newspapers which have of the time indicate little snow in the winter of 18S1-2 except two severe snow storms early in February.
 MT. Atwood states that nearly every one will admit that there has been less snow for the past fifteen years Now I think he goes back about ten years too far. As stated in my pre- vious letter, there has been a deficient snowfall since 1908, but change of cli- mate cannot be deduced from so short 8. period. Up to that time can see no satisfactory evidence of any dimin- unitioa of snowfall. The records of the Boston office of the weather bu- reau give the following averages for the past three decades: 1s80-1ss9, 43.3 inches; 1S9O-1s99, 51.1 inches; -1900-1909, 41.0 inches. It will be seen that the snowfall for the sec }ond decade was decidedly heavier than that for the first decade and that of the last but little below that of the first. The last three years of the third decade were years of light snow fall, otherwise this decade would have exceeded the first. am sure there has been no change of any account in the matter of snowfall in the past thirty years at least, with the excep- tion of the past five years noted above. I used to hear just the same talk back in the sos about less snow than formerly that we hear now. Mir Atwood names the winter of 19O3-4 as the only exception in the last few years in lack of snow. How about 1906-7? We had good s1eighing con t1nuousfy from January 26 to March 3 that season and the Boston office recorded a fall of 67.e inches
 People seem to have forgotten the mild winters of the latter 8O's and early sos, when the Gulf stream theory was worked as industriousIy as 1t is now. In the winter of 1888-9 there was not a day of sleighing None
 
 or four days in December and a few days early in March. In the season of 1S91-92 none except two or three days after the 20th of March.
 MT. Atwood states that people used to use sleighs when it was poor s1eiGhing. I made this very point in my previous letter. It was all "sleighfng" though much was done over half bare ground. People now adays generally cling to wheels un- less the snow is deep enough to make them run dard.
 In regard to skating on Thanksgfv- ing day, did not deny it's occurrence occasionally, but 1ntimated that it was rare, as of course it is saw sIzat- ing on Thanksgiving day in 1901 and in 1903. Rather remarkable that two instances should occur so near to- gether.
 Tn conclusion will note that Lake Superior was entirely frozen oyer in the winter of 1911-12 for the first time since it has been known by civ iliZed man.
 Respectfully yours,
 A. B. ROBERTS,