30 E. MAWLET PHENOLOGICAL PHENOMENA 



was, on the whole, less destructive than the frosts of either of the 

 two previous winters. Two half-hardy plants growing ia my own 

 garden at Berkhamsted, however, which had passed without serious 

 injury through the previous eight winters, fell victims to this one, 

 viz., montbretias and globe artichokes. This was no doubt owing 

 to the exceptional depth to which the frost penetrated the ground, 

 and to the long period the soil around their roots remained frozen. 

 To the agriculturist this was a very unsatisfactory season. The 

 prolonged frost not only prevented the working of the land, but 

 also destroyed the turnips, and iu February the ground was again 

 rendered unworkable owing to the continuous and heavy rainfall. 

 In the gardens the winter frosts, for the third year in succession, 

 committed sad havoc among the vegetables. The last rose blooms 

 of the season were destroyed by cold and wet in my garden at 

 Berkhamsted on the 6th of December, which is twelve days earlier 

 than the average date of their destruction ia the previous eight 

 years. 



In all parts of the county the hazel was backward in flowering. 

 According to the mean date given at the end of the table it was, 

 at five of the six stations sending in returns, from a week to ten 

 days late. The song-thrush was first heard about a fortnight later 

 than usual, while the honey-bee visited flowers, at three out of 

 the four stations recording its first appearance, on the same day, 

 February 19th, which is rather more than three weeks behind the 

 average date. 



The Speing. 



This was a most remarkable season. In March there occurred 

 only two unseasonably cold days, in April but four, and in May 

 again but two. The total rainfall amounted to less than one-fourth 

 of the mean for the quarter, while the sun shone on an average for 

 rather more than seven hours a day. 



The greatest sufferers from the continued di'ought were shallow- 

 rooted plants. Trees and shrubs, on the other hand, appeared 

 to be in no way injuriously affected, having at that time an 

 abundant supply of moisture to draw upon in the subsoil, owing 

 to the heavy February rains. Most of the spring wild flowers 

 made their appearance singularly early, but the continued heat and 

 drought caused them to fade rapidly, and to make but poor growth. 

 The spring corn was planted in most places under very favourable 

 conditions, but genninated very slowly, while the grass made but 

 very little progress. The observer at Addiscombe Lodge, St. Albans, 

 states that some sweet-peas which were sown on March 20th did 

 not appear above ground until April 18th. The fi'uit trees and 

 other flowering trees and shrubs blossomed abundantly, but the 

 display of bloom was soon over. 



The coltsfoot, as usual, flowered very irregularly, being earlier 

 than the average in some districts, and later in others, and the 

 same may be said of the wood-anemone. But towards the end 

 of March the continued heat began to tell, and from that time 



