192 NOTES ON THE SEASONS OF 1893, ' 



beyond the reach of any drought. It may, however, be safely 

 impHed that the lateral roots require a certain amount of moisture 

 during the growth of tlic plant. 



We have mentioned that trees did not appear to suftcr. In 

 very many cases there was a decided benefit in that an enormous 

 crop of fruit was realized. Apple-trees were very prolific — a tree at 

 Pjeshey yielded 36 bushels. 



Wild fruit was also exceedingly plentiful, among which acorns 

 'were conspicuous. In all these cases of excessive yield there was 

 some proixable forecasting at the time of bloom. 



Oaks and elms adorned the landscape in the spring in a manner 

 that will not be soon forgotten. The elms so far departed from the 

 normal as to become conspicuous at a distance. These trees, how- 

 ever, or at any rate Ulnius campestris, never ripen their fruit in 

 F.ngland. In the uncertainty of our seasons it is interesting to 

 iniiuire to what element of constancy we are indebted for the 

 successful ripening of the other fruits to which we have called 

 attention. The cause must lie with the atmosphere in the first 

 event, that is, during the blooming time, for the soil then had not 

 been appreciably affected. The visits of insects to the flowers I do 

 not think can be taken into account, because in most years they find 

 opportunity to pay those visits. The extreme and continued dry- 

 ness of the atmosphere is, however, with us a unique phenomenon. 

 There were no dews to spoil the pollen and no moisture to creep 

 into the delicate mechanism of the flower so as to form a nidus on 

 which small frosts could act. This was probably helpful in the early 

 stage, but it is to the genial influence of the sun that we must 

 attribute the growth of the fruit. It seems to be indeed probable 

 that the sun's heat penetrated sufficiently deep to stimulate the roots. 

 Certain it is that the amount of sunshine received by the trees was 

 far" above the average. Some abnormal cases quoted in newspapers 

 of very large apples and pears and tubers (potatoes) can hardly be 

 accounted for except by the supposition of increased bottom heat — 

 in the case of the potatoes in particular. 



We pass now to notice the weeds. These did poorly throughout 

 the summer, and it was not until September that the seeds ger- 

 minated, and the great army came on. They appeared, however, 

 too late in many cases to ripen their seeds. ^^'e are generally more 

 concerned with the local origin of the various species of weeds than 

 with the causes which help local extinction, but it is worth noting 



