The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-06-20
about the same degree OF

ABOUT the 6axne ueETee VI
heat. Though the killing frosts are
somewhat Irregular in arriving In the
fail, they take their departure In the
spring approximately on schedule
time. Even our old friend the Janu-
airy thaw has made his appearance
almost on the same date for the last
forty years and the March cold snap
and the Thanksgiving freeze both call
with commendable regularity.
The arrival of the first frosts hard
enough to kill growing vegetation may
he looked for in October. although for
two-thirds Of the time they will not
appear IN hat month. The earliest
one recorded occurred October 4, 1878.
The other earliest killing frosts Of the
autumn called here in October Of the
years 1876, 1879. 1881. 1885. 1887. 1889.
1890, 1891, 1898, 1895, 1898. 1904. 1910
and 1914. A.; the other firsts occurred
in the month Of November. and in
1902 none happened along until Mo-
vember 20. than which there is no
later record OF earliest arrivals.
With the departure of April thought
OF further killing frosts may he dis
missed for the season. although nine
times in the last fo~rty-hve years there
has been none after March had blown
itself into the past.
As to days in winter when the mer-
curry touched zero or below. IL only for
n moment. just sixteen are noted since
1871 inclusive, and they have been
equally divided between the first and
second halves of the intervening
pekod, thus: First half, December IL.
ISL, / below; January 8, 1873, Just
zero: February . and 10, 1876. 1 below
each day; December 10. 1876. 2 below:
December 80, 1880, 8 below; December
81. 1880, 6 below; February 6, 1885, 2
below. Second half. January 8. 1896,
3 below, and on the nth Of the same
month 6 below; February 3, 1899, 3
below. and 6 below on the 10th and
18th; January 4. 1904. / below. 4 be-
low On the 9Th and 1 below on the
10Th. So II ~ fathers talk about the
extremely cold weather Of their early
days we a match them with tales
OF our own experiences.
As to snow the Weather Bureau
gathers up carefully every particls
that falls to help make up a blanket
ITO Of an inch thick. no matter IL II
remains only a second, and calls that
day one on which the heavenly fleece
actually covers the ground. The
record here runs back but thirty years.
but taking this In Ave year periods 1t
would seem hat there Is some ground
for the thought that snow shovels are
not In such demand az they used to he.
From the first filter in the fall of
rSQA 70 TIA fEas aaEn IN shH an-tnc pF
1889 the entire snowfall was 1855
inches. giving an annual average Of
35.7 inches. This includes the well
remembered fatal blizzard Of March.
1858. during which month 221 inches
fell. Terrible as that month was. others
excelled 1t in snowfall. February,
1898. gave us 80 inches: February,
1894. contributed 37.s inches; March.
1896. precipitated 2s.5 inches: Febru-
airy. 1899. dropped 27.5 inches, and De-
cember. 1904. had 27.s inches. From
the fall Of 1889 to spring In 1894 there
were 244.0 inches. an annual average
for the period OF ass inches. This
period includes the winter OF 1892
1898, during which the record fall Of
77.6 inches was made.
From the autumn Of 1894 to the
spring Of 1893 the total snowfall was
1851 inches. an annual average OF
39.l inches. Since then snow shovels
have become less fashionable. for dur
ing the next five winters only ll9.6
inches, an annual average Of 23.9
inches. fell. The next five winters
deposited 1852 inches. an annual av-
erage Of $40 inches, and the next and
latest afforded sleighing material to
the extent Of 1865 inches, an annual
average OF 273 inches.
SO the heaviest year. the heaviest
month and the heaviest Ave year
period fall back Of the latter half OF
the thirty years Of the record. and
the llghtcst year, the lightest month