It must be remembered that
this year of produce, (the year 1794,) short, but excellent, followed a
year which was not extraordinary in production, nor of a superior
quality, and left but little in store. At first, this was not felt,
because the harvest came in unusually early,--earlier than common by a
full month.
The winter, at the end of 1794 and beginning of 1795, was more than
usually unfavorable both to corn and grass, owing to the sudden
relaxation of very rigorous frosts, followed by rains, which were again
rapidly succeeded by frosts of still greater rigor than the first.
Much wheat was utterly destroyed. The clover-grass suffered in many
places. What I never observed before, the rye-grass, or coarse bent,
suffered more than the clover. Even the meadow-grass in some places was
killed to the very roots. In the spring appearances were better than we
expected. All the early sown grain recovered itself, and came up with
great vigor; but that which was late sown was feeble, and did not
promise to resist any blights in the spring, which, however, with all
its unpleasant vicissitudes, passed off very well; and nothing looked
better than the wheat at the time of blooming;--but at that most
critical time of all, a cold, dry east wind, attended with very sharp
frosts, longer and stronger than I recollect at that time of year,
destroyed the flowers, and withered up, in an astonishing manner, the
whole side of the ear next to the wind.
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