80 J. J. WILLIS — naiitealist's calekdak 



wild flowers, among whicli we may mention the wood-anemone, 

 lesser-celandine, coltsfoot, dog's mercury, daffodil, and sweet field- 

 violet, were generally observed in bloom, being quite a fortnight 

 in advance of their time of flowering in the two previous years. 

 But although the season was early, the occasional cold nights of 

 March sufiiced to prevent that inopportune and over-hasty develop- 

 ment of vegetation which comes of a continuance of very mild 

 weather at this period of the year. 



There is an old " distich" which says : 



" "When the oak's before the ash 

 We shall have plenty of corn to thrash ; 

 But when the ash buds before the oak, 

 Then we're sure to have a soak." 



In 1890 the oaks in this neighbourhood were nearly in full leaf 

 before the ash-buds had barely begun to show, nevertheless June 

 was unsettled, showery, and cold, with a less than average amount 

 of bright sunshine, and July gave a considerable excess of rain, 

 which greatly "lodged" and damaged the cereal crops, while the 

 hay crops were very variable in quantity, and by no means secured 

 in good condition. 



1891, a Season of Late Records. — Our migratory feathered friends 

 revealed to us pretty plainly that the spring of 1891 was a back- 

 ward one. The ploughing of land was delayed, and spring-work 

 was crowded into a brief and hurried space. The inclemency of 

 the weather also considerably retarded vegetation, and gave a low 

 yield of hay, generally in poor condition. Yet at the beginning of 

 July the cereal crops scarcely ever looked more promising. A 

 change of weather, however, for the worse, after the second week 

 of July, prevented satisfactory maturation of the grain, and the 

 final results were below those of 1890. Less wheat, barley, oats, 

 beans, peas, and turnips, and very considerably less hay, was re- 

 ported to be available in 1891 than in the prcsdous year. Against 

 these reductions has to be set an increased yield of hops, mangolds, 

 and potatoes. 



