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THE FORTIETH ANNUAL REPORT

OF THE

SECRETARY

OF THE

BOARD OF AGRICULTURE.

To the Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

The year 1892 was a prosperous one for our farmers, and the report of the secretary is a report of progress.

MASSACHUSETTS WEATHER IN 1892.

January was warmer than the average, and the precipitation was greater than usual in the central counties. The snowfall was deficient. Snow, ice and bare ground alternated at the end of the month. The prevailing wind was from the north-west. A thunder-storm occurred at Williamstown on the 2d.

February was warm and dry. The precipitation was least along the coast. From eight to twenty-six inches of snow fell in the western part of the State and from one to eight inches in the eastern. Only a trace of snow remained on the ground at the end of the month. The prevailing direction of the wind was from the north-west.

March was cool and dry. On the extreme southern Rhode Island and Massachusetts coast the precipitation was above the average, but in other sections it was below. The prevailing wind was from the north-west. Thunder-storms were observed at Hyannis and Mansfield on the 10th, and at New Bedford and Randolph on the 11th.

April was warm and dry. Very little snow fell. The prevailing wind was from the north-west. A well-marked thunder-storm occurred on the 2d.

The weather for May was characterized by an excess of rainfall and number of rainy days and an unusually high mean wind velocity. The mean temperature was slightly below the average and the monthly range was strong. There was an excess of westerly and northerly winds and less southerly and easterly winds than usual. The precipitation for the month was greatest in the central and western districts and least on the coast. A remarkably late snow-storm occurred on the 20th. This was felt only on the western highlands, but was severe there as well as in Vermont and New Hampshire.

The weather for June was characterized by a very high mean temperature, with great variability, especially during the middle of the month; heavy local storms accompanied by thunder and lightning, high winds and hail, prevailing southerly winds and an excess of rainy days. The mean temperature was from 10 to over 3° above the average throughout the State. The lowest occurred on the morning of the 11th, when considerable damage was done in the eastern districts by frost. From the 11th to the 14th there were very strong ranges of temperature with steadily increasing heat each day, until on the latter date it rose to 90° and over, at all stations except at some of those very near the coast; thus the range for the month was unusually large. The precipitation was about one inch below the normal on the southern coast, but considerably above the average in the northern and western districts. The heaviest hail-storm occurred on the 14th, and did the most damage in the upper Connecticut valley at Greenfield; thousands of dollars' worth of damage was done to windows, and in other towns farther east much glass was broken.

The month of July was characterized by excessive heat, great range in temperature, large amount of sunshine, low humidity, deficiency of clouds and a lack of rainfall. Unusually low temperatures occurred on the 4th, 6th and 17th, light frosts being reported in some low lands. High temperatures were experienced from the 10th to 15th and

from the 22d to the 29th; the last period was the hottest spell of weather felt in Massachusetts for several years. Very little rain fell in any section of the State from the 4th to the 28th, and this, coupled with the intense heat, caused a sharp though not unusually severe drought. The greatest damage was probably done to potatoes, although grain, garden truck, pastures and newly mowed fields suffered to considerable extent. The drought ended with heavy thunderstorms on the 28th and 29th in the central and western sections, and a heavy north-east rain on the 31st.

The weather for the month of August was characterized by a nearly average temperature, air pressure and sunshine, while the precipitation was above the average in the central counties and at or below the average in the eastern. The maximum temperature occurred generally on the 10th, ranging from 88° to 98°. The minimum was felt on different dates at different stations, and was about 50°; hence the range for the month was not nearly so large as was experienced in July. The dry weather that prevailed during the greater part of July was continued through most of August in Plymouth and Bristol counties, causing damage to nearly all crops there; fruit dropped badly, field and garden crops dried up for want of water, and fields and pastures turned brown. But in the central and western parts of the State seasonable rains fell, and all vegetation was given rapid growth. The local storms were heavy and frequent, and much damage was done by lightning.

The month of September had very nearly a normal temperature, a deficiency of rainfall except in the vicinity of New Bedford, and an air pressure and amount of sunshine above the average. Few storms influenced the weather. The highest temperature occurred on the 19th, ranging slightly over 80°. The lowest was on the 21st or 30th, and was very near the freezing point of water. Thus, while the monthly range was not large, the daily ranges were very strong and generally rapid. While at Taunton light frosts were reported on twelve days and killing frosts on three, at Fitchburg no frost had occurred at the end of the month. Over the greater part of the State the damage by frosts was very slight. In this respect the season was unusually favorable,

both during the late spring and the early fall. At New Bedford the rainfall for the month was over three inches; two inches and over fell in the south-eastern part of the State and in the extreme west, while from one to two inches only was registered in all the central districts. Thunder-storms were few, but that of the 26th was very severe and did considerable damage.

The weather for the month of October was unusually mild and pleasant. The highest temperature occurred on the 8th or 14th, and the lowest on the 25th, 28th or 29th. The maximum was not unusually high, and the minimum was not so low as is generally recorded. At Newburyport no general killing frost had occurred, and at Leominster the first frost to injure vegetation on high lands was on the 28th. The observer at Chestnut Hill reported that wild violets were picked on the 25th. The observer at Taunton reported that the weather continued unusually mild, and in many places dandelions and roses were in blossom. The number of rainy and cloudy days was small, and the amount of sunshine was in excess. The precipitation was much below the usual amount in all parts of the State. At Springfield it was the least ever recorded in October in forty-five years of observation. At Clinton the fall for the month was only 0.39 inch. This lack of precipitation, coming after several months of small rainfall, caused a general drought. A thunder-storm on the 16th was quite severe in the vicinity of Mansfield.

November was wet, with a nearly normal temperature. The temperature ranges were neither large nor rapid; the maximum was slightly over 60°, and occurred on the 17th. The minimum was generally on the 24th, and ranged from 10° to 20° below the freezing point of water. The precipitation was above the normal, being quite heavy on the southern coast. During the storm of the 9th-10th the rainfall at Springfield was 2.58 inches; at Westborough, 2.55 inches; and at Wood's Holl, 2.54 inches. On the 15th-16th 2.70 inches fell at Adams and 2.73 at Monroe. On the 29th-30th the fall at Hyannis was 2.75 inches. Severe wind storms occurred in the western part of the State on the 18th, doing much damage to trees and buildings. On the 30th the north-east storm did much damage along the coast. The

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