tion the healthiest in the world, as
proven by statistics which place the death rate at 8-1/2 per 1,000,
the very lowest in the table of mortality gathered from all parts of
the habitable globe."

The climate of Loudoun, like that of most other localities, is
governed mainly by the direction of the prevailing winds, and, to a
limited extent, is influenced by the county's diversified physical
features.

Though the rainfall is abundant, amounting annually to forty or fifty
inches, ordinarily the air is dry and salubrious. This ample
precipitation is usually well distributed throughout the growing
season and is rarely insufficient or excessive. The summer rainfall
comes largely in the form of local showers, scarcely ever attended by
hail. Loudoun streams for the most part are pure and rapid, and there
appears to be no local cause to generate malaria.

In common with the rest of Virginia the climate of Loudoun corresponds
very nearly with that of Cashmere and the best parts of China. The
mean annual temperature is 50 deg. to 55 deg..

Loudoun winters are not of long duration and are seldom marked by
protracted severity. Snow does not cover the ground for any
considerable period and the number of bright sunny days during these
seasons is unusually large. In their extremes of cold they are less
rigorous than the average winters of sections farther north or even of
western localities of the same latitude. Consequently the growing
season here is much more extended than in either of those sections.
The prevailing winds in winter are from the north and west, and from
these the mountains afford partial protection.

The seasons are somewhat earlier even than in the Shenandoah Valley,
just over the western border of Loudoun, and the farmers here plant
and harvest their crops from one week to ten days earlier than the
farmers of that region.

Loudoun summers, as a rule, are long and agreeably cool, while
occasional periods of extreme heat are not more oppressive than in
many portions of the North. The mountains of Loudoun have a delightful
summer climate coupled with inspiring scenery, and are well known as
the resort of hundreds seeking rest, recreation, or the restoration of
health. This region, owing to its low humidity, has little dew at
night, and accordingly has been found especially beneficial for
consumptives and those afflicted with pulmonary diseases. The genial
southwest trade winds, blowing through the long parall