A New Guide For Emigrants To The West Part 4

The mean temperature of each month during the above years, is as follows:

Deg. Hund.

January 30 62 February 38 65 March 43 13 April 58 47 May 62 66 June 74 47 July 78 66 August 72 88 September 70 10 October 59 00 November 53 13 December 34 33

The mean temperature of the different seasons is as follows:

Winter, 34.53--Spring, 54.74--Summer, 74.34--Autumn, 60.77.

The greatest extremes of heat and cold during my residence of eighteen years, in the vicinity of St. Louis, is as follows:

Greatest heat in July 1820, and July 1833, 100 degrees. Greatest cold January 3d, 1834, 18 degrees below zero,--February 8th, 1835, 22 degrees below zero.

The foregoing facts will doubtless apply to about one half of Illinois.

This climate also is subject to sudden changes from heat to cold; from wet to dry, especially from November to May. The heat of the summer below the 40 of lat.i.tude is more enervating, and the system becomes more easily debilitated than in the bracing atmosphere of a more northerly region.

At Marietta, Ohio, in lat. 39 25' N. and at the junction of the Muskingum river with the Ohio, the mean temperature for 1834, was 52 degrees, four-tenths; highest in August, 95 degrees,--lowest, January, at zero. Fair days 225,--cloudy days 110.

At Nashville, Tenn. 1834, the mean temperature was 59 degrees and seventy-six-hundredths; maximum 97, minimum 4 above zero. The summer temperature of this place never reaches 100. On January 26th, 1832, 18 degrees below zero. February 8th, 1835, 10 below zero.

The putting forth of vegetation in the spring furnishes some evidence of the character of the climate of any country, though by no means entirely accurate. Other causes combine to advance or r.e.t.a.r.d vegetation. A wet or dry season, or a few days of heat or cold at a particular crisis, will produce material changes.

The following table is constructed from memoranda made at the various dates given, near the lat.i.tude of St. Louis, which is computed at 38 30'. The observations of 1819 were made at St. Charles and vicinity, in the state of Missouri. Those of 1820, in St. Louis county, 17 miles N.

W. from the city of St. Louis. The remainder at Rock Spring, Illinois, 18 miles east from St. Louis. It will be perceived, the years are not consecutive. In 1826, the writer was absent to the eastern states, and for 1828, his notes were too imperfect to answer the purpose.

In the columns showing the times of the first snows, and the first and last frosts in the season, a little explanation may be necessary. A "light" snow means merely enough to whiten the earth, and which usually disappears in a few hours.

Many of the frosts recorded "light" were not severe enough to kill ordinary vegetation.

Peach & Strawberries Blackberries Apple Apple Red bud in in leaves trees in Year. in blossom blossom. blossom. begin to blossom. put forth =====+==========+============+============+=========+=========+ 1819 April 4. Not noted. May 19. April 15. April 20. -----+----------+------------+------------+---------+---------+ April 14. May 10. 1820 No peach April 2. fall off Mar. 25 April 15. B. 17. -----+----------+------------+------------+---------+---------+ April 26. 1821 No peach April 30. May 21. April 24. May 3. B. -----+----------+------------+------------+---------+---------+ 1822 April 5. April 25. May 10. April 18. April 22. -----+----------+------------+------------+---------+---------+ 1823 April 19. April 26. May 20. April 15. April 28. -----+----------+------------+------------+---------+---------+ 1824 April 20. April 28. May 18. April 20. April 29. -----+----------+------------+------------+---------+---------+ April 3. 1825 Mar. 25. Ripe May 8. Mar. 30. April 5. May 17. -----+----------+------------+------------+---------+---------+ 1827 April 4. April 10. May 15. April 4. April 13. -----+----------+------------+------------+---------+---------+ 1829 April 20. April 24. May 20. April 20. April 26. -----+----------+------------+------------+---------+---------+ 1830 April 1. April 5. May 9. April 1. April 9.

continued

Gra.s.s Oaks and First Last First green in other forest snow on frost in frost in Year. prairies. trees approach Spring. Autumn.

put forth of winter. leaves. =====+=========+============+============+============+========== 1819 April 18. Half size Oct. 8. few May 18, Sept. 23.

May 19. flakes. very light. -----+---------+------------+------------+------------+---------- April 22. Oct. 24. few June 1, Sept. 20.

1820 April 10. full size flakes. Nov. very light. Oct. 8, May 7. 11 3 inches. ice.

-----+---------+------------+------------+------------+---------- Ap. 26 to Nov. 8. April 18, 1821 April 26. May 3. f. 2- in. severe. Oct. 8 grown 22 May 9, light -----+---------+------------+------------+------------+---------- April 29. Nov. 16, April 16, 1822 April 10. full size light. severe, ice. Oct. 13.

May 14. -----+---------+------------+------------+------------+---------- 1823 April 10. April 23. Nov. 1, April 24. Sp. 21-2.

light. Ice 23.

-----+---------+------------+------------+------------+---------- Oct. 21.

1824 April 14. April 30. Nov. 7. May 5. hard freeze.

-----+---------+------------+------------+------------+---------- Dec. 11, Feb. 22. Oct. 2-3.

1825 Mar. 16. April 3. 3 inches. Next. 27th, ice.

Ap. 20, ice. -----+---------+------------+------------+------------+---------- April 10. Nov. 25, May 7, Sept. 23, 1827 Mar. 25. full size light. light. light.

April 30. -----+---------+------------+------------+------------+---------- Nov. 12, 1829 April 24. April 27. 4 inches. Not noted. Sept. 17.

sleet. -----+---------+------------+------------+------------+---------- begin Ap. 1830 April 1. 5. f. size May 1.

These observations, upon a comparison with the same parallels of lat.i.tude in the eastern states, show that there is no material difference of climate between the two sections of our country, except that produced by local causes, as mountainous districts, contiguity to the ocean, &c.

A similar error has existed in relation to sudden and extreme changes of weather in the West. People who emigrate to a new country have their curiosity awakened, and perhaps for the first time in their lives become quite observing of such changes. From habitually observing the weather the impression is produced on their minds that there is a marked difference in this climate. Dr. Rush declares that there is but _one_ steady trait in the character of the climate of Pennsylvania--and that is, _it is uniformly variable_, and he a.s.serts that he has known the thermometer fall 20 in one hour and a half. March 26-27, 1818, the thermometer in St. Louis, fell 41 in 30 hours--from 83 to 42. I have no record or recollection of a more sudden change in 18 years. Mr.

Legaux saw it fall in the vicinity of Philadelphia, 47 in 24 hours, and Dr. Drake states that this is five degrees more than any impression ever observed in Cincinnati, in the same length of time. Emigrants from New England and the northern part of New York state, must not expect to find the same climate in the West, at 38 or 40 degrees; but let them remove to the same parallel of lat.i.tude in the West, to Wisconsin, or the northern part of Illinois, and they will probably find a climate far more uniform than the land of their birth.

Prevailing winds modify and affect the climate of every country.

Southwestwardly winds prevail along the Mississippi Valley. The following tabular view of observations made at Cincinnati, by Dr. D.

Drake, for six succeeding years, with so few omissions, that they amount to 4200, will give further ill.u.s.trations of this subject. They have been brought from eight points of the compa.s.s.

OBSERVATIONS.

MONTHS S.E. S. S.W. N.E. N. N.W. E. W. CALM.

===========+======+====+======+======+====+======+====+====+======= January 6 2 13 8 1 21 3 6 6 February 5 1 13 8 1 14 0 5 8 March 10 1 16 11 1 10 0 5 4 April 7 0 24 10 1 8 1 3 5 May 7 1 19 10 0 10 1 4 6 June 9 1 23 12 5 7 1 2 3 July 6 1 19 11 2 11 1 4 4 August 6 1 23 10 1 12 1 1 6 September 6 1 23 9 0 8 2 3 3 October 9 1 24 6 1 10 2 4 3 November 9 3 13 6 1 10 2 7 5 December 7 1 11 5 0 15 2 6 9 -----------+------+----+------+------+----+------+----+----+------- Total 87 14 221 106 14 136 16 50 62

The results of my own observations, made for twelve years, with the exception of 1826, and with some irregularity, from travelling in different parts of Missouri and Illinois during the time, do not vary in any material degree from the above table, excepting fewer east and northeast winds.

Dr. Drake has given a table, setting forth the results of 4268 observations on the state of the weather at Cincinnati, from which it will be perceived that of the 365 days in a year, about 176 will be fair, 105 cloudy, and 84 variable.

Dr. L. C. Beck made similar observations at St. Louis during the year 1820, which produced the result of 245 clear days, and cloudy, including variable days, 110.

Years. Clear days. Cloudy days. Variable days.

==============+===========+============+============== 1 180 107 68 2 158 112 91 3 187 78 85 4 152 106 107 5 185 111 68 6 172 112 74 --------------+-----------+------------+-------------- Total 6 years. 1,034 626 493 --------------+-----------+------------+-------------- Mean terms. 172.33 104.33 82.16

The following table shows the condition of the weather in each month of a mean year, for the above period.

MONTHS. Clear days. Cloudy days. Variable days.

==========+=============+==============+================ January 9.8 13.1 7.8 February 10.3 12.0 6.5 March 13.5 9.1 8.3 April 13.1 10.8 7.6 May 15.0 8.5 7.5 June 15.5 5.0 9.6 July 19.0 5.5 6.0 August 19.6 4.6 6.5 September 19.5 5.3 6.1 October 16.1 6.0 8.1 November 9.5 13.5 5.5 December 9.6 14.1 5.8

There would be some variations from the foregoing table in a series of observations in the country bordering upon the Upper Mississippi and Missouri. The weather in the states of Ohio and Kentucky, is doubtless more or less affected in autumn by the rains that fall on the Alleghany mountains, and the rise of the Ohio and its tributaries. So the weather in the months of April, May and June in Missouri, is affected by the spring floods of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers.

The following table is constructed from a series of observations made at the Military posts in the West, by the Surgeons of the U. S. Army, for four years:--1822, 1823, 1824, and 1825. [See American Almanac for 1834, p. 81.]

------------------+--------------------------+---------+---------+---------- N. Elevation Mean Temp.

Posts. Situations. Lat.i.tude. above the for four deg. m. ocean. years.

------------------+--------------------------+---------+---------+---------- Fort Brady, Sault de St. Mary, outlet 46 22 5 95 41 37 of Lake Superior, Fort Snelling, Mouth of St. Peters, 10 m. 46 39 7 80 45 00 below Falls St. Anthony, Fort Howard, Green bay, Wisconsin T. 45 00 6 00 44 50 Fort Crawford, Prairie du Chien, W. Ter. 43 25 5 80 45 52 Council Bluffs, Upper Missouri, 41 31 8 00 50 82 Cantonment Jessup, On Red river, La. 68 31 Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 30 32 68 07

continued

------------------+--------+--------+------------+------------------------- Weather.

+------------------------- MONTHLY AVERAGE.

+-----+------+-----+------ Posts. Range of Fair Cloudy Rainy Snow Maximum. Minimum. Thermometer. days. d's days. days.

------------------+--------+--------+------------+-----+------+-----+------ Fort Brady, 90 -33 1 23 13 30 2 27 7 83 6 02 Fort Snelling, 96 -29 1 25 16 94 5 50 5 77 2 22 Fort Howard, 1 00 -38 1 38 15 47 7 98 4 56 2 42 Fort Crawford, 96 -28 1 24 16 80 6 29 3 87 1 32 Council Bluffs, 1 08 -21 1 29 19 68 6 54 2 95 1 25 Cantonment Jessup, 97 7 90 18 63 4 49 7 25 05 Baton Rouge, 99 18 81 20 16 4 08 6 16 - _signifies below zero._

The times of observation at the above posts were 7 A. M., and 2 and 9, P. M. The mean of each month was deduced from 90 observations, and of each year from 1095 observations. The reader, who is desirous of following up this comparative view of the climate between the Atlantic states and the Valley of the Mississippi, can compare the observations recorded in these tables, with similar observations made in the same parallels of lat.i.tude. He will find the climate of the West quite as uniform, and the weather as little variable as in the Atlantic states.

_Diseases_,--_Means of preserving health, &c._ Of the Lower Valley, I shall say but very little on this subject. Dr. Drake observes, "The diseases of this portion of the Great Valley are few, and prevail chiefly in summer and autumn. They are the offspring of the combined action of intense heat and marsh exhalation." They are generally remittent and intermittent bilious fevers. Emigrants most generally undergo a seasoning, or become acclimated. Many persons, however, from the northern and middle states, and from Europe, enjoy health. In sickly situations these fevers are apt to return, and often prove fatal. They frequently enfeeble the const.i.tution, and produce chronic inflammation of the liver, enlargement of the spleen, or terminate in jaundice or dropsy, and disorder the digestive organs. When persons find themselves subject to repeated attacks, the only safe resource is an annual migration to a more northern climate during the summer. Many families from New Orleans, and other exposed situations, retire to the pine barrens of Louisiana, in the hot and sickly season, where limpid streams, flowing over a pebbly bed, and a terebinthine atmosphere are enjoyed. Eight months of the year, are pleasant and healthy in the Lower Mississippi Valley.