THE GREATEST FALL IN 24 HOURS. 
The heaviest amount of rain that fell on any one day was at Whitfield on 
the 30th of September, on which 1°65 inches were recorded. Out of 18 returns of 
that month 10 concur in marking this day as the maximum fall, A like number 
have recorded the maximum fall during the year, and, of these, 7 have marked the 
30th Sept., and 5 the 26th Feb., whilst the rest have severally marked May 22, 
June 29, Sept. 1, Nov. 25, 28, and 29. Snow fell on ten days during December, 
the heaviest on the night’of the 13th; on the following morning it averaged 9 
inches on the ground. 
THE NUMBER OF RAINY DAYS IN THE YEAR. 
Before classifying the rainy days let me explain what a rainy day means. A 
rainy day, in the parlance of rain-doctors, signifies a day on which 0°01 inch falls, 
that is to say, a day on which the smallest amount of rain, or mist, or snow is 
discovered in the gauge. In tabulating the 17 stations that have returned their 
number of rainy days, it will be found that they range themselves in the following 
order :—1, Hereford (190); 2, Ross, the Graig (180) ; 3, Staunton-on-Wye (178) ; 
4, Much Marcle (176); 5, Ross—the Rocklands—(171); 6, Bromyard (166) ; 7, 
Whitfield (166); 8, Bryngwyn (156); 9, Stoke Bliss (156); 10, Fownhope (154) ; 
11, Hampton Court, near Leominster (153); 12, Stretton Sugwas (153); 18, 
Wigmore (153) ; 14, Brockhampton, near Bromyard (150) ; 15, Ledbury (149); 16, 
Longtown (142); 17, Lynhales (98). The mean of all the stations will be found to 
158 days ; of 1873 it was 161. 
It has been ascertained and stated that more rain fell at Longtown, and less 
rain at Ledbury, than at any other station, and hence it might be assumed that 
the inhabitants of the former parish must be living in a perpetually dismal atmos- 
phere of mist and rain and cloud and storm, whilst the inhabitants of the latter 
parish were basking in perpetual sunshine and haleyon days. Such a conclusion is 
inconsistent with the logic of stern facts. The amount of rain which has fallen in 
a year in a locality by no means indicates the amount of rainy days in the year. 
There were actually more rainy days at Ledbury thanat Longtown; and at the latter 
parish there were, with one exception, more rainless days than at any other parish 
from which returns have been made in the county of Hereford. Whether future 
observations will bear out this deduction from last year’s experience is a question 
which has still to be solved. The city of Hereford heads the list for 1874, and it 
obtained like pre-eminence in the year preceding. 
THE MONTHLY FALL, 
The following list of mean monthly rainfall has been calculated by me from 
the printed returns together with other returns privately sent me: 1. September 
(4°27); 2. February (3°00); 3. August (2°85); 4. October (2.88); 5. January 
(2°60); 6. November (2°58) ; 7. December (2°38) ; 8. April (1°74); 9. May (1°15) ; 
10.. March (0°93); 11. July (0°92) ; 12. June (0°91). 
It would thus appear that September had the maximum and June the 
minimum rainfall, whilst April and July, which are usually debited as the rainest 
