AND METEOROLOGY OF THE YEAH KELATIVE TIIEKETO. 321 



wlicruii.s over tlu; vvlioli-. of the west from Cape Wi';itli to the 

 Mull of Galloway, iucludiiig' Western Perthshire, lieavy rains 

 set in, amounting during the month to an excess of fully 50 per 

 cent, above the average, rising, down the Clyde, to 83 and lOG 

 per cent, of excess. It is unnecessary to remark on the important 

 bearings which the dry weather of the east, and the wet weatiier 

 of the west, had on the crops during the critical month of 

 September. 



October. — Over that division of Scotland situated to the 

 north of the Grampian range, temperature was a little above the 

 average, but on crossing the range, it fell below the average, — the 

 greatest depression of temperature occurring in the south-east, in 

 Tweeddale where it was fully two degrees below the average. 

 In all districts of t\u) country the rainfall was small, the greatest 

 deliciency being in the east, to the south of the Moray Firth; the 

 deficiency in many places being from 70 to 80 per cent. 



In the west the cutting of the harvest connnenced from ten to 

 twenty days later than the average of seasons, wliereas in the 

 east, from Aberdeenshire southwards, the commencement of 

 cutting was about double this time later than usual. This dif- 

 ference was entirely due to the weather in the west up to the 

 time of cutting, having been characterised by a higher tempera- 

 ture, more sunshine, and a rainfall considerably under the aver- 

 age. On the other hand, from the middle of Septemljer, fine 

 weather set in in the east, and dry weather ruled till the end of 

 harvest; whilst in the west the weather l^roke in tlie last week 

 of August and continued wet and backward, with little inter- 

 mission till the beginning of October. 



The wheat and barley crops were everywhere below the aver- 

 age, the general deficiency being from a third to a half, and as 

 regards Ijoth these crops the quality was very inferior. 



On the other hand, oats were an average crop as regards quantity 

 in a large number of the districts, even rising in a few of the 

 districts somewhat above the average. The exceptions were 

 Aberdeen, Argyll, lUite, Arran, Clackmannan, and all to the 

 south of the Firth of Forth. In these south-eastern counties, 

 the deficiency varied from a sixth to a third. This cereal was 

 also an average, as respects quality, over a large number of the 

 districts, the chief exception being the strip of country extending 

 from Greenock to Aberdeen. In the south-eastern counties, 

 whilst the crop was under the average in quantity, it was of 

 average quality, — a result probably due to the extraordinarily wet 

 and sunless weather which prevailed from June to September 

 12th, and the fine harvest weather which succeeded. As regards 

 the tract extending to the north east from Greenock, temperature 

 was lower there during June and July than to the north and 



X 



