METEOROLOGICAL NOTES DURING THE YRAR 1905. 41 



year. This may be accouated for by the absence of severe frosts 

 throughout the year. 



The thermometer in shade was at or below freezing point (32° 

 Fahr.) on sixty- four days, though actual frost was only regis- 

 tered on fifty-five occasions to the amount of 226°, as compared 

 with 246° on fifty-eight occasions, with the freezing point 

 touched on sixty-eight mornings, in 1904. 



The lowest reading was on the 12th February, when 10° were 

 registered. The coldest month was October, with 57° on ten 

 days. The most notable feature regarding frosts was that in 

 March only 1° was registered, compared with 61° on fifteen days 

 in the previous March, which was the coldest month of 1904. 

 The warmest months were June and July, July and August being 

 the warmest in tlie previous year. The average maximum and 

 minimum temperatures were 64° and 50°, and 67° and 53° for 

 June and July respectively. The warmest day was in June, 

 when, on the 26th, the thermometer in shade registered 77°. 

 The maximum thermometer was at or above 70° on eighteen 

 days during June and July, against eleven occasions in 1904. 



Regarding the winds, whilst there were no specially destructive 

 gales, there were many squally storms of short duration. 



As usual, south-westerly winds preponderated, and as in the 

 previous year they mostly prevailed in the summer and autumn 

 months. Excluding the direct north and south, the winds from 

 the westerly direction prevailed on 284 days, and easterly on 81 

 days. 



With regard to the atmospheric pressure, the range of readings 

 for the year was somewhat wider than usual. The highest 

 reading was 3060 inches on 12th December, and the lowest 28 20 

 inches on the 15th ]March, whereas in 1904 the range was exactly 

 two inches. Though the range of pressure was wider, the readings 

 on the average were lower, as in 1904 the barometer indicated 

 30'00 inches and over on 107 days, whereas in 1905 that point 

 was only reached and passed on 84 days. The lower readings, at 

 or below 29*00 inches, occurred on 22 occasions, against 16 times 

 in 1904. 



In regard to the general efiect on vegetation — though the 

 drying winds in spring had a retarding effect on growth, which 

 was later generally, and the frosts of April injured early flowering 



