146 



can they possess for the WoolhoiJe Field Club ? In answer it may be said that 

 the weather in Herefordshire, as regards rainfall and mean temperature, does 

 not by any means always correspond with that in the neighbourhood of London. 

 For instance, January in the present year was considerably warmer and wetter 

 at Ross than in London, whereas, in January, 1881, the severity of the frost was 

 greater here than in the south-eastern counties. As far as I can ascertain we 

 have greater comparative cold during calm and clear, or foggy weather, and less 

 in a strong easterly wind. Again, when cyclones are skirting Ireland, we come 

 more under their influence than do districts further to the eastward— the warming 

 effects of the S.W. wind producing a hiiiher temperature here. 



My last paper had reference almost entirely to summer, and as this one will 

 be pretty much confined to winter, it may be as well to define at the outset what 

 period of the year I consider the latter to embrace. November, December, and 

 January, are sometimes considered the winter months. More often December, 

 January, and February are reckoned ; while astronomically, winter lasts from 

 December 21st to March 20th, but neither of these intervals coincide with the 

 period, which a reference to a scale of average mean temperature seems, in my 

 opinion, to mark out clearly the real winter of the British Isles. 



It is well known that vegetation makes no progress till the mean temperature 

 exceeds 42°, and winter may be considered to prevail while this temperature is not 

 exceeded. 



Now the mean, which on the 1st of November is 47°, falls very rapidly, till on 

 the 14th it descends to 42° — afterwards it gradually declines to 37 6° on the 5th of 

 January. The three days January 5th to 7th being of the same temperature, and 

 the coldest of the year. The temperature then rises very slowly till the 24th of 

 March, when 42° is again reached, and then there is a rapid rise till April 4th to 

 46*4°, when it is checked for some time, in fact, in thirty-five days there is only 

 the same increase as in the previous eleven. 



I think, therefore, we may safely assume that, on the average, winter lasts 

 from the 14th November to 24th March inclusive. 



WINTER OF 1883—1884. 



There was no night in October, 1883, when the temperature at four feet de- 

 scended below 32°. On November 7th the minimum was 31 "4°. There were three 

 successive hoar-frosts on November 13th to 15th — on the latter day 20'4° was re- 

 corded, or nearly ten degrees of frost, while at Greenwich the lowest reading was 

 27 "8°, or seven degrees warmer. 



This proved to be the only cold spell during the whole winter, and the gera- 

 niums, and other tender garden plants, which had continued in full vigour up to 

 this time, were suddenly cut down ; but it is very unusual in this part of England 

 to get through October without dahlias, etc., being blackened with frosts. 



October and December were on the whole about the average temperature, a 

 few short periods of cold weather counterbalancing the excess of the remaining 

 portions of the (Quarter. 



