Chinkiang, Feb. 7.
The farmers are satisfied—at least for the present. For some time there has been a growing feeling of uneasiness about the long protracted drought. But recently we have been having light rains in this general section, and yesterday there began to fall one of the heaviest snows we have had for many years, All during yesterday afternoon and last night it came down in a most businesslike way, and this morning the ground was covered with nearly five inches of snow. It has melted but very little to-day, and as the ground is now freezing and the clouds indicate more snow to-night the conditions may soon be even better. This fall must be pretty general thoughout this section.
Apart from the utility of the snow it has certainly made Chinkiang look prettier than it has appeared for a long time. The near-by and far-away hills, the islands, -bluffs, and bamboo groves have certainly presented an unusually beautiful scene under their mantle of white.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.