184 E. MA.WXEY — PHENOLOGICAX PHENOMENA 



fell, but in the rest of the month there was only one perfectly 

 dry day, while the rainfall often proved very heavy. January 

 was cold and dry, the sharpest frosts taking place about the 

 middle of the month. In February there occurred during the 

 end of the third week the keenest frosts of the winter — the 

 exposed thermometer indicating at Berkhamsted on two occasions 

 between 26° and 27° of frost. Rain and snow fell at frequent 

 intervals, but the aggregate amount entering the rain-gauge was 

 short of the average for the month. 



The Christmas frosts came upon all vegetable growths after 

 a long spell of unseasonably warm weather and when the soil 

 had become saturated by constant rain, and consequently at a time 

 when delicate plants were least prepared to resist them. Had 

 these frosts been more severe, considerable damage must un- 

 doubtedly have been done. Fortunately after this time the 

 ground never became sufficiently warm during the rest of the 

 season to awake them from their winter slumbers. The usual 

 winter farming operations were greatly interrupted, at first by 

 the sodden state of the soil, and afterwards by frost. 



Taking the mean date at the three stations sending in returns 

 for these plants, the hazel was first in flower on February 2nd or 

 six days later, and the coltsfoot on March 4th or eight days later 

 than the adopted average for the county given in the last column 

 of Table I. In my own garden at Berkhamsted the last rose- 

 bloom of the year was destroyed by frost on December 20th, or 

 nineteen days later than the average date of its destruction in 

 the previous six years. In the same garden the winter aconite 

 first came into blossom on January 25th, which is seventeen days 

 earlier than in the previous year. The mean date when the song- 

 thrush was first heard is eighteen days late, while the honey-bee 

 first appeared among flowers twenty-two days later than usual. 



The Speing. 



This season was chiefly remarkable for the cold, diy, and sunny 

 weather which prevailed during the greater part of it. March 

 proved particularly cold for a spring month ; while April was also 

 cold, but no sooner had May been entered upon than the tempera- 

 ture began gradually to rise, and towards its close the weather 

 was quite summerlike. 



Notwithstanding the long continuance of bright sunshine, the 

 ground remained singularly cold and dry until about the middle of 

 May, when some welcome rains arrived, which started everything 

 into rapid growth. Until this period, owing to the cold weather 

 and the absence of rain, the growth of both field and garden crops 

 remained almost at a complete standstill. The pastures especially 

 presented a very bare appearance. The fruit and other fioweiing 

 trees blossomed late and very irregularly, in some places being 

 loaded with blossom while in others there was but a scanty show. 

 As in the previous spiing, farmers were sorely taxed to find 

 sufficient green food for their cattle and sheep. On the other hand, 



