820 THE CEREAL AND OTHER CROPS OF SCOTLAND FOR 1879, 



three inches of rain fell within a space of about twenty-four hours 

 at several places in Mid and East Lothian. It is a singular fact 

 in the meteorology of Scotland, that rains approaching these in 

 depth of fall, or even rivalling them, occur with east winds by 

 no means rarely in eastern districts of the country, whereas in 

 the much wetter climates of the west, even where the average 

 annual fall approaches 100 inches, such heavy daily falls as 

 deluged the Lothians on July 13-14, have not yet been recorded. 

 In no previous July, or, indeed, in any previous summer month 

 for which we possess the required observations, has there oc- 

 curred more cloud and fewer hours of sunshine, the cloud beinir 

 22 per cent, above, and the hours of sunshine 35 per cent, below 

 tlie averages. These conditions of weather, so detrimental to the 

 growing crops, were most disastrously felt in the east to the 

 south of Stonehaven, and least in Shetland, Orkney, and the 

 country on both sides of the Minch. 



August. — Taking Scotland as a whole, the temperature was 

 not quite a degree below the average, approaching the average 

 and in one or two cases slightly exceeding it, south of the Firth 

 of Forth and along the western slopes of the country; whereas 

 over the rest of Scotland, temperature was fully a degree under 

 the average. The distribution of the rainfall closely followed 

 that of the temperature inversely. Thus to south of the Firth 

 of Forth and in the west, the rainfall either little exceeded or 

 fell little lielow the average, the departures from the average 

 being generally much less than 30 per cent; whereas in the east 

 from the Pentland Firth to the Firth of Forth the rainfall was 

 pretty uniformly about 50 per cent, in excess. This is the first 

 month during which the weather conditions were not unfavour- 

 able in the important agricultural district of the Lothians; whilst 

 to the north of the Lothians, the deplorable weather which 

 characterised the previous months, was still continued. On the 

 other hand, in the west from Argyllshire northwards, there was 

 still a continuance of the not unfavourable weather of June and 

 July. Cloud still remained above, and sunshine below the 

 averages, but the departures were inconsiderable in comparison 

 with what has been detailed regarding June and July. 



September. — In the extreme north of Shetland, temperature 

 was only slightly below the average, but on proceeding south- 

 wards, the deficiency increased gradually to about 3° in the ex- 

 treme south, a deficiency of 3° being slightly exceeded at Milne 

 Graden on tlie Tweed, Wolfelee in the Cheviots, and Silloth and 

 Cally on the Solway. The distribution of the rainfall was com- 

 pletely reversed from what had prevailed for some months. Now 

 over the whole of the eastern slopes, and in Clydesdale above 

 Glasgow, the rainfall was below the average, and largely so,, 

 amounting to 50 per cent, or more, particularly near the coast ; 



