318 THE CEREAL AND OTHER CROPS OF SCOTLAND FOR 18/9, 



prepared, — the maps and tables themselves being lodged with 

 Mr Menzies, Secretary of the Society. 



April. — In this month the temperature was everywhere below 

 the average, most so along the Tweed and the Dee, where it was 

 as much as from 4° to 5°, the deficiency being greatest at the 

 elevated stations of Dalnaspidal, Braemar, and the North Esk 

 Reservoir in the Pentlands. On the other hand the deficiency 

 was only half the above amounts, and in a few districts even 

 less, in the north and north-west, l)eing only 1° in Shetland, 

 and from 2° to 3° in Orkney, the Hebrides, and the west coast, 

 from Cape Wrath to Skye. The rainfall was in excess over the 

 whole of the east of Scotland, except the counties of Perth and 

 Stirling, the excess being greatest generally where temperature 

 was lowest, running up in many cases to a half more than the 

 average ; whereas in the west the rainfall was in most places 

 only half the average of April, and from Skye northwards to 

 Tono'ue it amounted to a fourth onlv of the usual amount. 

 Thus, speaking generally, the weather was excessively cold and 

 wet ill the east, lout in the west cold and dry, and becommg on 

 advancing to the north-west and north, dry, and not unseasonably 

 cold. 



May. — The weather of May was equally cold and unseasonable, 

 the deficiency of temperature from the average of May closely 

 reseml)ling in amount and distribution over the country that for 

 April with two noteworthy exceptions, — these exceptions being 

 the whole of the west from Cape Wrath to Islay over wliicli 

 temperature was relatively a degi'ee colder, and the east board of 

 Scotland to south of the Grampians, as far as the Firth of Forth, 

 over which it was a degree milder. In the east to the north of 

 the Grampians, and northward into Orkney, the rainfall of May 

 was usually heavy, being at least double the average at Elgin, 

 Tain, and Dunrobm ; but elsewhere it was generally a little 

 below the average, rising, however, over a few hmited districts 

 somewhat above it. Hence the lands sloping to the Moray Firth 

 iiad the disagreeably cold and wet weather which characterised 

 April extended in an aggravated degree into May; whereas 

 elsewhere the weather of May, while still exceptionally cold, was 

 dry. 



juxE. — In this month the temperature from Aberdeen round 

 the Moray Firth to Dunrobin was between 3° and 4° below the 

 :average ; whereas on the other hand on the opposite sides of the 

 island to the south-west or within the district marked off by a 

 line passing from Crinan round by Roy Bridge, thence across to 

 Dunvegan, and passing out by North Uist, the temperature was 

 about the average of June, rising even at one or two places a 

 few tenths of a degree above it. In other districts of the 

 country, temperature was pretty generally about 2° below the 



