METEOROLOGICAL NOTES FOB 1885. SOT 



Bird-cherry on the 19th; the Oak came in leaf on 

 the 20th, and the Ash on the 28th; and the Lilacs 

 and Laburnums were fast bursting into bloom 

 towards the end of the month. 



June was the dryest month of the year, as the 

 total rainfall was only '80 of an inch; and there 

 were 21 dry days during the month. The temper- 

 ature was exceptionally variable, as on several days 

 the thermometer stood at and above 78" in the 

 shade, and on several evenings it fell to within a 

 few degrees of the freezing point. Towards the 

 end of the month trees, shrubs, and all kinds of 

 crops suffered very severely for want of rain, as 

 there is no season of the year in which vegetation 

 suffers more from drought than in early summer. 

 The average temperature was 56*1°, the same as in 

 1884. The prevailing winds were from the south by 

 west. Flowering trees and shrubs bloomed very 

 profusely during the month, the most noticeable 

 being Hawthorns, Laburnums, and Services. 



July was the only truly summer month of 1885, 

 with an average temperature of 60° and brilliant 

 sunshine. There were occasional slight showers on 

 13 days, giving a total of 1*47 inches — a rainfall not 

 nearly sufficient for the crops owing to the con- 

 tinuous drought of June and the great heat of the 

 sunshine. The prevailing winds were from the south 

 by west. 



The weather during August was cold for the season 

 of the year, with a low temperature, averaging 55*1, 

 being 5° lower than in 1884. On the 28th and follow- 

 ing evenings the thermometer stood at 35°, or within 

 3° of the freezing point. Rain fell more or less on 

 8 days, registering 2*52 inches. The prevailing winds 

 up to the 15th were from the south-west, and there- 

 after east by north. Owing to the absence of sun- 

 shine and heat during the month, vegetation remained 

 nearly at a standstill, and consequently the harvest 

 was a late one. 



September, which is always looked forward to by 



