454} Montlily Calendar of Nature for Scotland, 



has been for the most part moderately moist, and nightly dews have been 

 copious. The warmest day in June was on the 13th : mean temperature 

 of that day, 64*5° ; wind west : extreme heat throughout the month, 78°. 

 The coldest day of June was on the 10th : mean temperature of that day, 

 53° ; wind east : extreme cold in course of the month, 42°. The highest 

 temperature in June last year was 65° ; extreme cold throughout the 

 month, 38°, or 4° lower than this season. The wind blew from easterly 

 points on 11 days; from westerly points on 18 days; 1 day it was variable. 

 The atmosphere was clear on 18 days; on 12 days it was cloudy. 



The warmest day in July was on the 29th : mean temperature of that 

 day, 67° ; wind west : extreme heat in course of the month, 79°. The 

 coldest day in July was on the 20th ; mean temperature of that day, 55° : 

 extreme cold during the month, 42°. On 1 1 days the wind blew from the 

 east ; and on 20 days from westerly points. There were no loud gales of 

 wind on this or the preceding month ; and only twice thunder was heard at 

 a distance. There were 19 days of brilliant, and 5 days of partial, sun- 

 shine ; 7 were cloudy. 



About the beginning of June, vegetation was as forward as is usual on 

 an average of seasons. The laburnum showed its flowers on the 4th, 4 days 

 earlier than last season ; and the mulberry was in leaf on the 5th, also 

 4 days earlier. Light showers, with a moderately high temperature, were 

 frequent till the 21st, and promoted a vigorous vegetation. The Jester 

 alpinus came in flower on the 8th. Wheat from Morocco, a promising 

 variety, and very similar to the China wheat received from Mr. Loudon 

 last year, came in the ear on the 10th, a period of 92 days from brairding : 

 mean temperature of that period, 492°. Field wheat came in the ear on 

 the 18th, 4 days earlier than on an average of seasons. In my last I 

 expressed a hope " that the unusually high temperature and clear sunshine 

 throughout the day might bring many of the wheat maggot into the fly 

 state before the wheat was in the ear ; and that the very dry state of the 

 soil, which we found was inimical to their existence, might diminish their 

 numbers." (p. 380.) This hope has, fortunately for the farmer, been fully 

 realised. As early as the 6th of June, we observed myriads of the flies 

 amongst wheat which lay contiguous to wheat fields of last year ; and 

 where the plants stood close, or where chickweed or Veroniccs afforded 

 them shelter amongst the roots of thinly planted wheat. The brilliant sun- 

 shine then prevailing was to them very oppressive, and they were much 

 exhausted in strength and diminished in numbers before the wheat came in 

 the ear. Some few very early fields of wheat that came in the ear about 

 the 12th suffered partially; but by the 18th, when the general crop came 

 in the ear, the fly was in its last stage of exhaustion, and the loss this 

 year does not exceed the proportion claimed by an English clergyman ; in 

 some of the preceding years nearly the half was destroyed. There are, 

 however, still sufficient numbers perpetuated to excite serious alarms as to 

 the safety of future crops. Strawberries were ripe by the 17th, at least a 

 week earlier than on an average of seasons. Spring-sown wheat of the 

 common variety, which appeared above ground on the 5th of April, and had 

 been sown on the 9th of March, came in the ear on the 29th of June, only 

 1 1 days later than autumn-sown wheat of the same variety. The dry state 

 of the soil, high temperature, and brilliant sunshine in July, forced the 

 growing crops into early maturity. The privet flowered on the 6th ; the 

 white lily (Lilium candidum) on the 11th ; Centaurea aurea on the 14th ; 

 -(41thaeHi officinalis on the 17th. Peas with black pods (a promising field 

 variety from Van Diemen's Land, seeds from Mr. Lawson, Edinburgh), 

 sown on the 23d of March, were fully ripe on the 23d of July. The C6\- 

 chicum autumnale showed its flowers on the 28th ; Morocco wheat (seeds 

 from Mr. Neill), which came in the ear on the 10th of June, ripe on the 

 31st of July, 51 days from the time of earing: mean temperature of that 



