THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



WET SEASONS, 



BY CUTHBERT W, JOHNSON, ESQ., F.K.S. 



After a series of warm dry summers, we are the 

 more inclined to notice the copious rainfall of June 

 ISOO. Its indications, with regard to the weather, 

 of ripening and harvest time, naturally excite our 

 enquiry. It will not therefore be unattended with 

 l)enefit, if we refresh our memories by referring to 

 the rain records of former years. From these we 

 find that the average depth of rain falling during 

 June, in the neighbourhood of London, is about 

 1.80 inches. There have been strange variations, 

 however, noticed in this downfall during the last 

 quarter of a century. In June, 1849, it was only 

 0.31 of an inch, 0.88 in 1856, 0.78 in 1858. In 

 1836, on the other hand, and also in 1852, the fall 

 for the same month was equal to 4.60 inches. It 

 was 3. 10 in June 1859, and 5.11 up to June 25, 

 1860. 



The June rainfall however, is by no means an 

 indication of either a dry or a wet year. The rain- 

 fall of 1849, which amounted to only about a third 

 of an inch in June, was nearly 24 inches by the 

 close of the year ; and in 1856, with onlyQ-lOths of 

 an inch, it was nearly 23 inches; and in 1838, 

 when the month's fall of June was 4.6 inches, 

 only 5.3 inches fell in the harvest months of July, 

 August, and September, and 24 inches in the 

 whole year. In 1852, with the same amount of June 

 rainfall, the year's depth of rain was 34 inches, 

 10.6 inches falling duringthe three harvest months. 

 There is not therefore, any even probable conclusion 

 to be drawn, in our uncertain climate, from any in- 

 dications of this kind. 



The great difference in the amount of water de- 

 posited on our soils in wet and in dry seasons, 

 may be put in another way ; — viz., by comparing 

 the weight in tons falling in one month, with the 

 corresponding month of other years. Now in the 

 years 1858, 1859, and I860, there fell in Surrey, 

 during May and June (in I860 to June 25) the 

 following weight of water per imperial acre : — 

 1858. 1859. I860. 



Tons. Tons. Tons. 



May 194 274 305 



June 96 162 511 



The number of days in v.'hich rain fell was— • 

 1858. 1859. I860. 



May 9 9 12 



June 9 9 19 



The influence of a largely increased amount of 

 rain upon our crops is a much better understood 

 portion of our present enquiry. Many observations 



have very naturally been made in this field of re- 

 search. Mr. T. B. Lawes, for instance, has directed 

 his attention to this subject with his ordinary in- 

 dustry and success. He has reported the result of 

 a series of observations carried on for the three 

 years 1844-45-46, on old red Lammas wheat, 

 grown on the same land, the soil of which is rather 

 heavy resting on chalk {Jour. Roy. Ay. Soc, vol. 

 viii., p. 229). In these years the amount of rain 

 which fell during the grain season, from May to the 

 end of August, was as follows — 



1844. 1S45. 1846. 



May 0.26 2.88 1.35 



June 0.97 0.98 0.64 



July 1.94 2.16 1.60 



August 2.00 3.32 4.82 



So that during the seventeen weeks of the grain 

 season in these years, there fell in 1844 5.17 

 inches, in 1845, 9.34 inches, in 1846, 8.41 inches. 

 There were 43 days in which rain fell in the year 

 1844, 71 in 1845, and 45 in 1846. The mean 

 temperature of the same period, in 1844, was 60.3, 

 or 0.9 above the average; in 1845, 58.2, or 2.1 be- 

 low the average; and 63.1 in 1846, or 3.2 above the 

 average. 



Such were the circumstances as regards rainfall 

 and mean temperature in which the unmanured 

 plots of wheat were placed during these three 

 seasons in the Rothamsted experiments. The 

 results of the trials will be found in the following 

 little table— 



1844. 1845. 1846. 

 Corn per acre in bushells 16 23 l7f 

 Weight of corn per bush. 58§ 56^ 63 J 

 Straw per acre in lbs.. . 1120 2712 1513 

 Per centage of corn to 



straw (straw 1000). . 821 534 797 



Thus we see, as Mr Lawes remarks, that the 

 effect of the climate of these three seasons, as indi- 

 cated in these tables, is quite in accordance 'with 

 their general character. The lowest weight of the 

 bushel, and the greatest amount of straw, were ob- 

 tained in that season which had the greatest 

 number of rainy days and the lowest temperature ; 

 the least amount of straw with the driest season, 

 and the finest quality of grain in the hottest sum- 

 mer. The summer of 1846, with a mean tempera- 

 ture of more than three degrees above the average 

 of the climate of England, having produced grain 

 weighing 63flbs. per bushel, upon a soil from 

 which seven unmanured crops had been removed, 

 proves undoubtedly, that high quality of grain to a 

 great extent is determined by climate, independ- 

 ently of the action of manures. We should there- 

 fore expect that those countries enjoying a hotter 

 and drier summer than our own, would produce 



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