Climate 
     
    
   
   
    
     After flowing along the east coast of New- 
     
     foundland the cold Labrador current attempts 
     
     to round the Grand Bank to the south, but 
     
     there it comes in contact with the northward 
     
     pressing Gulf Stream, the warmth of which— 
     
     *59° in the open Atlantic—tempers the climate 
     
     of the Maritime Provinces and keeps open the 
     
     year round a line of harbours extending from 
     
     Cape Breton to Saint John on Fundy bay. 
     
    

    
     In a number of respects the climate is com- 
     
     parable with that of southern Ontario, the 
     
     proximity of the ocean preventing extremes of 
     
     heat and cold, but spring arrives somewhat late 
     
     along the coast and still more so in the interior. 
     
     Work on the land, however, usually commences 
     
     about the first week in May and grain is ready 
     
     to harvest early in September, although in 
     
     eastern Nova Scotia, particularly Cape Breton 
     
     island and some parts of New Brunswick, seed- 
     
     ing and harvesting dates are about two weeks 
     
     later. 
     
    

    
     The summers are slightly warmer than in the 
     
     south of England, temperatures exceeding 85° 
     
     and at times 95° being by no means infrequent. 
     
     The mean temperature during June, July and 
     
     August averages 59°-5 at Saint John, 62°-3 at 
     
     Halifax, 63°-4 at Fredericton, and 62°-7 at 
     
     Charlottetown, comparing with. about 61° at 
     
     London, England. 
     
    

    
     In October, which is a month of much fine 
     
     weather, the temperature begins to decline 
     
     rapidly and night frosts are liable to be severe, 
     
     while towards the close of November the normal 
     
     daily temperature falls below the freezing point. 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     * Temperatures throughout this section are in degrees Fahren- 
     
     heit, those below zero having a minus sign prefixed. 
     
    
   
   
    
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