ED. Western Horticulturist: - This staunch old ship (the earth) has had an unusually hard time in doubling her Cape Horn (the perihelion point) this winter. Nearly all the time since the middle of November we have had unusually severe winter weather, the mercury getting down as low as 29° below zero here on the high prairie, and 36° below along the river. On the 19th ult., mercury about zero, ten miles from here, a house was struck with lightning, scattering the hot stove and its pipe about the room, and tearing up the floor. The discharge came from a small cloud passing over the house. Here, on the 29th ult., mercury 12° above zero, a clap of thunder issued from a small passing cloud. About the same time a church was destroyed by lightning in Mahaska county. Besides these unusual occurrences in cold winter" weather, Iowa has never before had so much sickness; more than half of the people in these parts have been sick.

It is plain to an observer, that this winter in nearly all its vicissitudes, is different from any other winter that we know anything about. Can it be that we have been sweeping through the tail of a comet? Or, has the earth been attracted a little out of its orbit, when near the winter solstice, by some passing body? At this date, she is most likely in the old path, and speeding on to the vernal equinox, only a little beyond which, in our latitude, lies the green fields and flowery meadows, so heavenlike, and so well calculated to gladden the hearts of all animated beings.

Perhaps you remember the winter of 1842-43. During the months of February and March the cold was excessive. In the evenings of these two months, during twilight, and in the direction of where the sun sets, there was to be seen a cone-shaped light, differing from the twilight, extending about one quarter way to the zenith, and about half as broad at the base. This was a great wonder to people of these parts. Many were the conjectures what it could be. Some thought it was a comet's tail, others thought it was the zodiacal light. The ignorant and superstitious supposed it was a token of some great calamity approaching. It was probably the zodiacal light, but what made it so conspicuous at that particular time, when it can scarcely be seen at all since then? Of course it was the altered condition of the earth's atmosphere, but what made that, we cannot know.

On the 7th of April, of the year under consideration, the Des Moines river was still solidly frozen over, affording good teaming up and down, and across the river, which was much used, as roads were scarce and poor at that early day. When spring came, it was wet and lingering. Corn was planted late, scarcely any getting ripe. Wheat was a tolerable crop, grass was excellent, and prairie flowers as abundant and beautiful as at any previous time.