OF 1906 IN HERTFORDSHIRE. 225 



2 stations. It is probable that the records of some of these 

 periods are longer than they shoiild have been owing to slight 

 falls of rain towards the end of the drought having been over- 

 looked, and almost certain that such was the case in the recorded 

 period of 25 days. The variations in the date of beginning and 

 ending of the drought do not appear in any instance to be 

 due to an entry of rainfall on a wrong day, as for the day of 

 observation instead of the previous day, being accounted for by 

 very slight falls of rain at some stations and not at others. 



There was one " partial drought " (a period of more than 

 28 days with a mean rainfall not exceeding O'Ol in. per day), 

 lasting 31 days (March 27 to April 26) at 20 stations, with an 

 average fall of O'OOS in. of rain per diem, and 32 days (March 26 

 to April 26) at 9 other stations, with an average rainfall of 

 0"007 in. per diem. It thus prevailed at more than half the 

 stations. 



The maximum falls of rain in any one day in each month, and 

 the stations recording them, were: Jan. 12, Kensworth, 0'74in. ; 

 Feb. 16, aorhambury, St. Albans, 0-48 in. ; March 10, G-orham- 

 bury, 0-40 in. ; April 23, Throcking, 0-29 in. ; May 20, Barley, 

 0'43 in. ; June 28, Rose Cottage, Berkhamsted, 270 ins. ; July 27, 

 Easby, ISTorthwood, 1-55 in. ; August 24, Cowroast, Apsley Mills, 

 Rothamsted, and Easby, Northwood, 0-33 in. ; Sept. 14, Barley, 

 0-60 in. ; Oct. 1, Gorhambury, 1-17 in. ; Nov. 8, Therfield, 

 1-52 in. ; Dec. 16, Stanstead Abbotts, 0-95 in. 



The day in each mouth on which a heavy fall of rain was 

 most general over the county was: Jan. 12, Feb. 16, March 10, 

 April 27, May 20, June 28, July 27, August 13, Sept. 14, 

 Oct. 2, Nov. 8, Dec. 13 and 25 ; and in the year June 28 and 

 Nov. 8, the mean fall on June 28 being 2-10 ins., and on 

 Nov. 8, 1-05 in. 



The rainfall reached at least one inch in 24 hours ending 

 9 a.m. on six occasions during the year : once in June, once in 

 Jidy, three times in October, and once in November. On one of 

 these occasions, June 28, it exceeded two inches at most of the 

 stations. There are in the aggregate 143 records of at least an 

 inch, 35 of which exceeded two inches. 



The total yearly fall ranged from 21-85 inches at the Hertford 

 Sewage Works (an unusually small amount compared with that 

 at neighbouring stations) to 30-58 inches at The Orove, 

 Kensworth ; and the total monthly fall from 0-30 in. at the 

 London Orphan Asylum, Watford, in April, to 5-94 ins. at 

 Cowroast Lock, Tring, in October. The greatest fall in any one 

 day was 2-70 ins. at Rose Cottage, Berkhamsted, on 28th June. 



The rainfall of the Thame and Colne districts considerably 

 exceeded the mean for the county, and that of the Brent district 

 and the Thames basin slightly exceeded it ; that of the Cam 

 district was greatly in defect of the county mean, that of the 

 Ivel and Lea districts were slightly in defect, and that of the 

 Ouse basin was considerably in defect. 



