132 E. JIA^VXET — PHENOLOGICAL THENOMEyA 



as to become what is known as " winter proud." This was no 

 doubt owing to the diyness of the soil and the gloomy character 

 of the weather prevailing in January. Altogether this winter 

 proved an exceptionally favourable one for the farmer. Not only 

 was the ground sing-ularly warm but also singularly diy, so that 

 tillage operations were never at a standstill. Under such circum- 

 stances it is not sui-prising to learn that the sowing of spring com 

 was commenced at an exceptionally early date and carried out 

 under the most favourable conditions possible. At the end of the 

 quarter the cereals are reported to have presented a sturdy and 

 healthy appearance. The cost of maintaining cattle and sheep 

 during this mild winter must have been very small, owing to the 

 abundance of grass in the meadows and pastures. 



In the gardens there was always a plentiful supply of green 

 vegetables to be had, while the absence of frost enabled many 

 plants to continue in flower throughout the whole winter. The 

 last rose-bloom of the year in my garden at Berkhamsted fell 

 a victim to frost on Christmas Eve, the same day as in 1896 b\it 

 nearly three weeks later than the average date for the last rose 

 in the previous twelve years. Mrs. G. E. Bishop, writing on 

 January 15th, states that in her garden at Watford wallflowers, 

 prinu'oses, and Gloire-de-Dijon roses were still here and there to 

 be seen in flower. As showing the mildness of the weather in 

 January, Mr. A. W. Dawson instances the forward appearance 

 of the buds on the horse-chestnut at Hitchin, as well as those of 

 the pear and other fi-uit trees. As a further example I may 

 state that at Berkhamsted the winter aconite was in flower on 

 January 7th, which is the earliest date yet recorded for this plant 

 during the nine years it has been under obsei-vation here. 



Taking the average of all the dates sent in, the fertile flowers 

 first appeared on the hazel four days in advance of the mean date 

 for this shrub in the previous twenty-two years. The coltsfoot 

 also flowered four days early. 



The song-thrush was first heard, after the new year, ten days 

 earlier than its usual time. The dates received for the honey-bee 

 are too scanty to warrant any deductions being di'awn from them. 



The Spring. 



This was on the whole a cold spring, but on the other hand 

 there occurred during the course of it no fi'osts of exceptional 

 severity. In fact, after the 6th of April the exposed thermometer 

 at Berkhamsted at no time showed more than y degrees of frost, 

 and in May never more than 4 degrees of fi'ost. The weather was 

 also as a rule veiy dry, the only month of the three in which the 

 rainfall exceeded the average being May. Besides which it was an 

 unusually sunless spring. 



Although from the foregoing description the weather of the 

 quarter may not appear altogether favourable for vegetation, the 

 clin\atic conditions which prevailed during this season were in 

 reality singularly propitious. For instance, the cereals received 



