METEOROLOGY WATER. 813 



their probaMe ciuises. The possible sourcos of error in such worlc are dis- 

 ciissod. 



Annual variations in the temperature of the earth's surface {Mitt. Justus 

 J'crthes' Geogr. Anst., ')2 {1906), No. 2, ]>. 31. lig. I). — Isothermal lines based 

 upon data given in Ilopfner's article above referred to are charted. These 

 show directly the dependence of temperature upon the distance from the 

 polos and indirectly its dependence upon the distribution of land and water. 



An apparent periodicity in the yield of wheat for Eastern England, 1885 

 to 1905, W. N. Shaw (Proc. Roy. Soc. [ Loudon i, 8er. A, 78 {1900), No. A5.U, 

 l>p. 69-16, fii/. 1). — \\\ account of a continuation of studies which have been 

 ItrieHy reported elsewhere (E. S. R., K!. p. or);!). 



As a general conclusion from these further studies conlined to Eastern 

 England it is stated that " a relation between the autumn rainfall and the 

 wheat crop is sufiiciently manifest, but evidently the fall of rain is subject 

 to disturbances of an irregular character which have little counterpart in 

 the curve of wheat values." 



The law of sequence in the yield of wheat for Eastern England, 1885-1904, 

 \\. N. Shaw {ilet. Zt^chr.. 1906, [Haini-Bund \. pp. 208-216. fins. 2).—X dis- 

 cussion is here given of comparative observations already noted from another 

 source (see above). 



The results of 20 years' observations for Eastern England indicate a some- 

 what different relation of crop and rainfall from that indicated by the obser- 

 vations for the whole of England, being as follows : Wheat yield =4(i bu. — 2.2 

 times the preceding autumn rainfall, and this relation held quite closely for 13 

 of the 20 years. The other 7 years, however, were somewhat anomalous and 

 the I'ainfall-yield relationship did not hold. A closer examin.-ition of data for 

 these years indicated an 11 year periodic tluctuatinn of yield made up of com- 

 ponent harmonic periodic fluctuations having a common nodal point in the in- 

 terval 1895-96, in which there was a reversal of the yield curve. In a later 

 publication (see note below) the author compares the actual yields of wheat 

 during 21 years, 1885-1905, with that computed from component curves having 

 the following amplitudes : 



Period (years) H 11 \\ 11 11 11 



2 3 4 5 6 



Amplitude (bushels) 4-2.9 +0.5 -1.8 +2.8 +1 -J 1 



The calculated and actual results show a remarkably close agreement 

 throughout the period. The relationships here indicated apparently furnish a 

 means of predicting the yield of future years. The yield thus predicted for 

 1905 w^as 81.9 Im., while the actual returns showed 82 bu. 



Report of the meteorlogical committee, Great Britain (/»'/>^ Met. Com. [Gt. 

 Brit.]. 1906. pp. l.',/,. pis. .7. ////. / ; aJis. in Nature [London]. 7/, {1906), No. 1923. 

 p. 'ill). — This consists as usu;il of administrative reports regarding organizati'm 

 and operations (during the year ended March 81, 1900) in marine meteorology, 

 forecasts and storm warnings, climatology, publication, and miscellaneous sub- 

 jects, with appendixes relating to the supply of infonnation to the public, lists 

 of logs and other documents received during the year, distribution of instru- 

 ments, reports on inspections of meteorological stations, list of persons and in- 

 stitutions from whom publications are received, list of persons and institutions 

 •to whom publications are sent, and financial statement. 



Among the more important researches begun or com])lete(l during the year 

 are "(1) the study of the trajectories of air in traveling storms, emiiodied in 

 an official publication entitled 'The Life-history of Surface .\ir Currents;' 

 (2) redetermination of the velocity equivalents of the lieaufort scale of wind 



