MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW. . MARCH, 1 9 1 1
MISCELLANEOUS.
A number of thunderstorms were reported at various places in the district cluring the month, chiefly at tlie culmination of the periods of warm weather nientionecl above. Sleet occurred in scattered localities south of the upper Lakes on the 1%h, 37th, and 39th, and a t a few points elsewhere on other dates. Weather in Net(? Z'ork.-The unusual weather in the eastern portion of tlie distric4 is summarized bv Mr. W. M. Wilson, Section Director a t Ithaca, N. T., as follows:
The month of March, 2911, was remarkable for ita unusually cold weather and heavy snowfall. Since 1900, only one March, that 01 1906,
has shown a lower average temperature. The memory of Marrh. 1910, being ,411 fresh in the minds of the populace, thecharacter of the month just closed has seemed to be unusually severe. The average teinpera- ture was more t,han 10' lower than that of the same month Inst yc'ar, while cold waves and snowstorms occurred with such frequency and severity aa to be deridedly characteristic of midmint.er. The average t,emperature for the section waa 27.4', which is 2.5' leas than the normal, and varied locally from 18.8' a t Lake Placid Club, in the Adirondack region, to 31.5' a t Hunt, in the cent,ral part of western New York. The highest t.emperature report,etl for the section was 68O at Otto on the 27t.11, but, a t more than half the st.at,ions the highest temperature for t,he mont.h waa below GO'. Temperahres higher t.han 68' have been recorded in t,he section in 5 of the la& 11
years, but the number of wwm days in March this year was unusually small. On the ot.her hand, there were frequent cold s ells of more tllan ordinary severity. I n practically all of t.he Adironlack region there were 10 days or more with tem eratures below zero and from 5 to S
recorded during the n1ont.h was -28' a t Nehasane on the 7th, which ia within 1' of the lowest. temperature record for March since the eatablishment of t.he State Weather Service in 1889. The snowfall for t.he section averaged 17.4 inches and was the heaviest for any March since 1900. The amount of snow on the ground during the month was unusually great,, especially in the nort.liern counties where the deficiency in tempera- ture had been greatest,. At the end of the month cold weather st.ill prevailed, the ground waa
generally frozen, and t.here had been no noticeable growth of grass,
swelling of buds, or other evidences of spring.
A CAREI;ESS STATEXENT.
J. WARREN SMITH, Section Director.
days with temperatures of -10 t . or below. The lowest t.eniperature
I n 1906 t.lie average was 16.6 inches.
On age 28 in Climate and Meteorology of Australiti, by H. A. bunt, the following words appear:
I n Michigan, United States of America, where half a century ago each trees flourished and were. rarely injured by the cold, the crops
R ave now nearly disappeared, owin to the removal by timbermen of the shelter afforded by the forests. %n northern Kansas, too, from the game cause, the growing of peaches haa been largely abandoned.
With even a superficial knowledge of mt and present
of tlie truth in that State a t least. Hence letters of inquiry were sent both States, and the replies are so inter- esting and are so contradickory to the sweeping state- ment made by Mr. Hunt that they are quoted below in full:
H. J. Eirstact.. diiiSion of horticiiltiirt., Michigan Agnkidttiral College Experiincnt Btatioii, East Lunsinq, Mich., February 21, 1911.-It is true that peaches are not so ertensively raised in the southern art of Michigan as they were some 25 years 0, but the reaaOn is not %e one that is given in the quotation in YouRetter, by any means. The real reason is soil exhaustion, the coming of serious diseases like the peach yellows and little peach and the spread of the San Jose scale. The old peach orcharhists who could produce a crop in B very easy way are not willing to give them the care and attention now n e c w y to produce a cro . However there are man cues where the proper attention to all orthe details 01 the peach proLCtion are given, and the reward is a fine crop, just as fine aa waa ever obtained. Wanltt-r We'PlZhoitse. serretury Kansas State Horticultwral Ei'oriefy, Topeka, brans., Fpbritnry 20, 1911.-Your letter to Mr. Coburn, in regard to peach growing in northern Kanm, was handed this department for reply. In order tn give you an idea of the extent to which peaches are grown in northern Kansas, we present a statement of the number of bearing perch trees now growing in some of the northern counties. as follows: Atchison, 13.327; Brown. 57,876; Clay, 4S,124; Cloud, 63,027; Doni- phan, 58.541; Jackson, 56,151; Jewel], 921,269; Marshall, 81,487; Ne- malm, 71,E4; Pottawztoniie. 40,155; Washington, 93,ES; t&a1,884,222 peach trees. Fnresta have not been extensively cut in northern Kansas, in the recollection of ita oldest inhabitants, because no such forests existed. There are many more trees now growing in this part of our State than were there 50 years ago-the result of plantinga of the inhabitants. Mr. Hunt is certainly mistaken in his statement as regards peach growing in northern Kansas.
Mr. Hunt undoubtedly quoted some magazine or news- paper strttement without taking the trouble to verify it. Unfortmiately, too many arguments and illustrations for the preservation of our forests are bmed on just such innccura te assunip tioiiv.
conditions in Kansas it is evident that t R e above is wide