210 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. [Vol. 40 



Meteorological observations at the Massachusetts Agricultural Experi- 

 ment Station, J. E. Ostrander and H. Bebman {Massachusetts Sta. Met. Bids. 

 S59-S60 (1918), pp. 4 each). — Summaries of observations at Amherst, Mass., on 

 pressure, temperature, humidity, precipitation, wind, sunshine, cloudiness, and 

 casual phenomena during November and December, 1918, are presented. The 

 general character of the weather for November is briefly discussed, and the 

 December bulletin gives a summary for the year. The principal data in this 

 summary are as follows : 



Pressure, reduced to freezing and sea level (inches). — Maximum, 30.70. 

 February 21, December 19 ; minimum, 28.84, January 15 ; mean, 30.023. Air 

 temperature, in ground shelter (degrees F.). — Maximum, 100, August 7; mini- 

 mum, —22.5, February 2. Humidity. — Mean dewpoint, 37.8; mean relative 

 humidity, 7G.4. Precipitation. — Total rainfall or melted snow, 37.47 in.; number 

 of days on which 0.01 in. or more rain or melted snow fell, 123: total snowfall, 

 50.75 in. Weather. — Total cloudiness recorded by sun thermometer, 1,920 hours, 

 or 43 per cent; number of dear days, 106. Bright sunshine. — Number of hours 

 recorded, 2,532, or 57 per cent. Wind. — Prevailing direction, west; total move- 

 ment, 50,435 miles; maximum daily movement. GOG miles, March 3; minimum 

 daily movement, 4 miles, December 20; maximum pressure per square foot, 

 20 lbs., February 26, west-northwest. Dates of frost.— LaM. April 2G; first. 

 September 11. Dates of snow. — Last, April 13; first. November 4. 



Some common fallacies about Kansas weather, S. D. Flora (Trans. Kan*. 

 Acad. Sci.. 28 (1916-17), pp. 55-60).— Reviewing the available data on the sub- 

 ject the author concludes that the climate of Kansas " has not changed any 

 since the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Kock and will probably not change for 

 centuries to come; also that the golden harvests of the last twenty years have 

 been the result of increased skid and industry in making the earth productive, 

 and have been independent of any change in climate." 



Report on the phenological observations in the British Islands, from De- 

 cember, 1916, to November, 1917, J. E. Clakk and H. B. Adames (Quart. 

 Jour. Roy. -)/'/. Nor. [London}, ',', (191S), No. 1S7. pp. 191-21.',. pis. 2).— Obser- 

 vations from lit stations in different parts of the British Isles are reported and 

 briefly discussed. 



"The official returns show that in spite of the bad harvest weather, the yield 

 per acre in England of wheat in 1917 rather exceeded 191G, though barley 

 and oats were a little below. All were below the 10 years' mean, wheat about 

 5 per cent, barley G per cent, and oats 4 per cent. Owing to Increased acreage 

 the total yield of all was greater, and so also of peas, but beans, with only 

 some 17 !>u. against 30, on a smaller acreage, gave under half the crop. Hay of 

 both kinds was short Potatoes gave a record yield, Over 0* tons per acre 

 (Wisley grew up to 40 tons in trials), or § ton above the mean. Mangolds 

 gave 2i tons per acre over the mean of 19. 2G, but turnips, at 12$ tons, were 

 § ton below. 



"Irish and Scottish returns per acre Avere in all the above crops well over 

 the average. The three countries yielded S,G00,000 tons of potatoes off 1,864,000 

 acres, compared with 5,4GS,0O0 tons off 1,134,400 acres in 191G. Tree fruit crops 

 also gave excellent returns, the heavy gales in August leaving a marked effect 

 only upon apples. Pears and plums proved excellent crops. . . . 



"The year, which opened in an apparently disastrous fashion, thus residted 

 well on the whole. The effect of the prolonged winter was not only less preju- 

 dicial than expected, but was more than compensated by the propitious 

 weather of late spring and early summer. Again the heavy rains and gal. 

 late July and August, laying great stretches of grain and decimating the or- 

 chards, were compensated by September conditions, November in the same wa\ 



