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8 FIELD OPERATIONS OF THE BUREAU OF SOILS, 1913.
abundance of quartzite rock suitable for the purpose available at
Quarry.
Washington County is well supplied with rural mail routes, and
the telephone is in common use. The county is in a generally
prosperous condition.
CLIMATE.
The climate of Washington County is mild and agreeable. The
summers are long, but owing to the modifying influence of the Gulf
breezes the heat is less intense than farther north, although a maximum
temperature of 110 F. is recorded at College Station in Brazos
County. The winters are short, and in normal seasons there is a
large number of cloudy days. The temperature seldom falls below
freezing. The absolute minimum temperature recorded at College
Station is 5 F. North and northwest winds, known as "northers,"
are common, but they seldom last more than three days. These
winds often bring about a change in temperature of 40 in less than
24 hours. The annual mean temperature is about 67 F.
The mean annual precipitation is about 38 inches, and is well distributed
throughout the year, being greatest during the winter and
spring seasons. Occasional periods of dry weather occur in July or
August, resulting in injury to growing crops. In normal seasons the
damage from lack of moisture could be avoided by proper conservation
of the rain water during the winter and spring. Snowfalls are
rare, and disastrous winds or hailstorms seldom occur.
The average date of the first killing frost in the fall is November 20,
and of the last in the spring, March 5. The earliest recorded in the
fall is November 3, and the latest in the spring, March 24. The
average growing season covers a period of 260 days, being long enough
to gather two or more harvests of some crops.
There is no Weather Bureau station in this county. The data in
the table below are compiled from the records kept at College Station,
Brazos County, which is about 20 miles north of the center of Washington
County. The local conditions are practically the same, so
that the records are fairly representative of the temperature and
precipitation of this county.