North America . tinuously. A deep ac-cumulation which remains for a long time unmelted is wel-come, as it protects the roots of plants from sudden changesof temperature and prevents alternate freezing and thawingof their sap, which is injurious to their tissues in numerousinstances. Great variation in the amount of snow that fallsannually in a given locality is of common occurrence. Alarge proportion of the yearly accumulation frequently oc-curs during one or two great storms. For example, inJanuary and February, 1898, there were two severe storms,accompanied by an unusual depth of snow, the f
North America . tinuously. A deep ac-cumulation which remains for a long time unmelted is wel-come, as it protects the roots of plants from sudden changesof temperature and prevents alternate freezing and thawingof their sap, which is injurious to their tissues in numerousinstances. Great variation in the amount of snow that fallsannually in a given locality is of common occurrence. Alarge proportion of the yearly accumulation frequently oc-curs during one or two great storms. For example, inJanuary and February, 1898, there were two severe storms,accompanied by an unusual depth of snow, the first beingmost pronounced over New England, and the second inthe region of the Great Lakes. Other storms increased theamount of snow so that at the beginning of March the aver-age depth in Maine was 40 to 70 inches, in New Hampshireand Vermont 10 to 40 inches, and in Massachusetts 10 to20 inches, while in Michigan and Wisconsin the generaldepth on level ground was 1 to 2 feet, with many drifts 10to 15 feet u CLIMATE 199 The winter in the northeastern portion of the transitionprovince may be said to be the most characteristic featureof the climate, as it is the one that is most pronounced andexceptional, when a comparison is made with other thickly-peopled portions of the continent. The period of cold andsnow each year is long, extending in general from Novem-ber to March, and the coming of the flowers and birds inspring is frequently much delayed. The long cold wintershave a decided influence on plant and animal life, and in amarked way modify the lives of men. In the northeasternportion of the United States and adjacent provinces ofCanada various forms of sleighs are extensively used duringthe winters, and skating on the frozen lakes and streams andexcursions on snow-shoes over the fields and through theforests are a popular and healthful exercise, while coastingand tobogganing—or to explain these terms to people liv-ing in regions where snow does not fall, the slidin
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