86 e. mavvley phenological phenomena 



The Summer. 



June proved warm, and July exceptionally warm, but during 

 the whole of August low temperatures prevailed. The fall of 

 rain was very unequally distributed over the quarter, June being- 

 very wet, and also the last week in August, but during the 

 intervening eight weeks the rainfall continued very light. At 

 Berkhanisted the sun shone on an average for 6j hours a day, or 

 for about ten minutes a day longer than is seasonable. 



After the long period of dry weather in May the heavy 

 rainfall during the first fortnight in June was greatly welcomed, 

 but unfortunately came too late to save the hay crop, which 

 proved almost everywhere rather light. The dry period which 

 followed, however, enabled it to be harvested in excellent 

 condition. All the other farm crops were benefited, and more 

 particularly the roots and the grass. This rain also came to the 

 timely aid of the late-sown spring corn. Owing in the first 

 instance to the May drought, and the hot and dry weather in 

 July, the young roots made a bad start, and had in many cases 

 to be resown. The July heat hastened the corn harvest, and as 

 after cutting began the weather continued fine and warm, a great 

 deal of corn was gathered in under the most favourable circum- 

 stances. But those farmers who were unable to bring their 

 harvest operations to a conclusion until late in that month 

 encountered some interruptions through the wet weather wliich 

 followed. 



Grood progress was made by vegetation in the garden during 

 June, which was a warm, wet, and sunless month, but fux-ther 

 growth was afterwards checked by the July di-ought, and the 

 scorching weather which accompanied it. The flower garden 

 was particularly^ gay throughovit a great part of the season, but 

 dui'ing the dry period referred to the vegetables in the kitchen 

 garden made but little advance. 



At Harefield the hay harvest began on June 21st. Our 

 observer at Odsey reports that his wheat was first cut on 

 July 28th, and that on August 10th, or less than a fortnight 

 afterwards, the whole crop had been carried. Mr. G-raveson, 

 writing from Hertford, states that several of the rarer plants 

 mentioned in the ' Flora of Hertfordshire,' which had not been 

 seen by him before, were found last year in flower in that 

 district. Mr. J. J. Willis, in some very interesting notes on the 

 farm crops at Rothamsted which he has kindly sent me, states 

 that only two out of the twenty-four plots of grass there yielded 

 an over average crop of hay, and that the wheat was little affected 

 by the July drought except as regards the straw, which was 

 much shorter than usual. That the crop was a good one is 

 shown by the fact that on the permanently unmanured plot 

 which has now grown wheat for sixty -two years, the yield was 

 eighteen bushels per acre, as against an average for the previous 

 sixty years of thirteen bushels per acre. The first ear of wheat 

 at Rothamsted was out of its sheath on Jime 11th, whicli is one 



