324 THE CEREAL AND OTHER CROPS OF SCOTLAND FOR 1887, 



The rainfall was 8 '83 inches, or very slightly above the aver- 

 age. It was generally above the mean to the north of a line 

 drawn from Aberdeen to the Butt of Lewis, and to the south of 

 a line from Arbroath to the Mull of Kintyre, the greatest excess, 

 about half more, being in the counties of Mid- and East- 

 Lothians, Peebles, and Selkirk. In the intermediate districts 

 of Scotland, the rainfall was less than the average, the amount 

 being only about half the average towards the head of Loch 

 Linnhe. 



October. — The mean temperature was 44°'l, or 2°"6 under 

 the average, the days being 2°*0 and the nights 3°'l colder than 

 usual. This depression of temperature was attended with a 

 remarkable prevalence of northerly winds, which was the inevit- 

 able result of the prevalence of a much higher atmospheric 

 pressure at western than at eastern stations. At all Scottish 

 stations temperature was unseasonably low, the greatest defect 

 from the October averages, 3°"3, being in the extreme south- 

 west. The low temperature was continued southward over the 

 British Islands in even a greater degree, so that at Osborne it 

 was 5'''5 under the average of October. 



The rainfall was 239 inches, or 1*69 inch less than the mean. 

 In a few scattered districts on the south of the Moray Firth, 

 along the Minch, and in Orkney, the rainfall was above the 

 average, but only slightly so ; but elsewhere, particularly to the 

 south of the Grampians, it was under it, where only about half 

 the average was collected, and over great breadths in the 

 counties of Forfar, Perth, Fife, Argyll, Arran, Ayr, Wigtown, 

 and Dumfries, only a fourth of the average fell. 



November. — The mean temperature was 39''"6, or 0°-9 under 

 the average, the days being 1°"2 and the nights 0°"6 under it, 

 the deficiency being pretty evenly distributed over the country. 



The rainfall was 376 inches, being very nearly the average, 

 but its distribution was very unequal. In the more strictly 

 eastern districts it was above the mean, the amounts at several 

 places in the south-eastern counties being fully double the 

 average. On the other hand, in the south-west and to the north 

 of the Grampians, it was little more than half the average. 



December. — The mean temperature was 36°'2, being 1°'8 

 vmder the average, the distribution being about equal between 

 the days and the nights, the deficiency being on the whole, as 

 in November, pretty evenly distributed over the country. 



The rainfall was 3'30 inches, or 0'79 inch under the average. 



The harvest of 1S87 was an early one, being in some districts, 

 such as parts of the counties of Forfar, Perth, and Stirling, 

 where higher temperatures ruled, as stated above, from three to 

 four weeks earlier than the harvest of 188G. On the other hand, 

 in Shetland cutting was not commenced till the usual time. 



