372 ' Mr. J. Glaisher's Remarks on the Weather 



been immediately preceded by a white frost, which disease I 

 have no doubt is attributable to meteorological causes. 



" Sheep stock has not been healthy ; the deaths among the 

 lambs have been very numerous even in the driest districts." 



Samuel Charles Whitbread, Esq., says, " My harvest began 

 on the 28th of July; it continued forty-two days, and rain fell 

 on twenty-eight of these days, depositing 4*75 inches of water; 

 on the whole the crops suffered no damage." This remark 

 has reference to the crops in Bedfordshire. 



The observer at Stone says, speaking of the crops in the 

 Vale of Aylesbury, " that those of hay and clover were abun- 

 dant and good, but were not well-gathered ; that wheat was 

 below an average of many years, but was well-housed; that 

 both barley and oats were average crops, and they were well- 

 housed." The observer speaks of the potato crop as being 

 generally bad. 



John Drew, Esq., F.R.A.S., of Southampton, has kindly 

 procured me an agricultural report from John Clark, Esq. of 

 Finsbury Farm, near Romsey, Hampshire, and which I have 

 condensed into the following few lines. 



The South Hampshire farmer has been subjected during 

 the past quarter to more trying dispensations of Providence 

 than Mr. Clark has experienced within a period of twenty-five 

 years' practice. This gentleman further observes that the 

 almost constant wet weather has injured every kind of crop, 

 and that but little has come to maturity. The occasional 

 short periods of sunshine have frequently induced the hope 

 that a season would come for haymaking and harvest work, 

 but which expectation unfortunately has never been realized. 

 A large quantity of hay has been consequently rendered use- 

 less, and turnips have been very much injured. The wide 

 range of prices of new wheat affords the best evidence of the 

 extent to which this crop has been harassed. On those lands 

 which have been well-farmed and well-drained, or on those 

 which would readily part with an excess of moisture, the crops 

 are an average (with the exception of potatoes, which are 

 almost a failure). On heavy cold soils the crops are below an 

 average. In consequence of the exceeding wetness cattle have 

 done badly. 



The recent heavy rains (now Oct. 6) excite great anxiety 

 with respect to seed-time. On wet lands a great deal is needed 

 to be done to prepare them for sowing, which operation must 

 be late, and therefore to a certain extent more precarious 

 than if performed under the more favourable circumstances of 

 a good seed season. 



Themean of the numbers in the first column of the subjoined 

 quarterly meteorological table is29*541 inches, and this value 



