64 E. M.VWLEY — PHENOLOGICAL PHEXOMKXA 



singularly gloomy, the record of clear f^unsliine falling short of 

 the average during each of the three months. 



During the cold period in January the temperatures were never 

 sufficiently low to injure the winter crops ; and moreover the 

 snow came opportunely to shelter the young wheat and heans from 

 the keen winds which at that time prevailed. It was a very 

 fortunate circumstance for the farmer that the weather was not 

 more severe, as the supply of roots and hay, owing to the poor 

 crops of the previous year, happened at the heginning of the 

 winter to be sadly deficient. In the gardens there was always 

 plenty of green vegetables to be had, which is also a sure sign 

 that no exceptionally severe frosts were at any time experienced. 



The last rose-bloom of the year in my garden was knocked to 

 pieces by driving rain on Christmas Eve, or three weeks later than 

 the average date of its destruction in the previous eleven years. 

 As an instance of how greatly the flowering of plants at this season 

 may be retarded by untoward weather-influences, I may state that 

 a patch of winter aconite in my garden had erect flowers upon it 

 ready to open as early as January 6th, but they were not ah\e to 

 expand until February 7th, owing in the first instance to the 

 paucity of sunshine, and afterwards to a covering of snow. So 

 that the date for this flower, instead of being the earliest of all, 

 was one of the latest that I have yet recorded. 



The first appearance of fertile flowers on the hazel is noted 

 by all the observers, and the mean date for the county comes 

 out as ten days later than the average for this shrub in the 

 previous 20 years. The coltsfoot, which flowered a fortnight 

 later, when the temperature of the ground had risen a good deal 

 after the January frost, was, however, five days early. 



The song-thrush was first heard five days later than its usual 

 time. The honey-bee first visited flowers eighteen days late. 



The Speing, 



The warm weather which prevailed in February continued 

 throughout the whole of March, but during April and May the 

 temperature was, as a rule, low for the time of year. "What is 

 known as the cold period in May was unusually well defined, 

 the exposed thermometer showing from four to five degrees of 

 frost on each of the four nights ending the 14th of that month. 

 The rainfall of the spring quarter was also very unequally dis- 

 tributed, 57 per cent, of the total quantity having been deposited 

 during March, whereas during May only in the last week was 

 there any rain worth mentioning. In March the duration of bright 

 sunshine was in no way remarkable; in April the record was very 

 poor for a spring month ; whereas in May the sun shone on an 

 average for 7f hours a day — an exceptionally good record even for 

 that sunny month. But, after all, the most noteworthy feature 

 of this season as affecting vegetation was the small number of 

 exceptionally cold nights. 



At the end of March, which month closes the first half of the 



