iv PREFACE. 
For twelve consecutive days—that is, from February 12th to 
February 23rd inclusive—the thermometer with its bulb one foot 
below the surface of the earth (at Mr. Symons’s own station at 
Camden Square, London, N.W.), at the 9 a.m. readings, only 
marked 31°, or 81° and one or more fractions, this showing 
(again to quote Mr. Symons) ‘‘ twelve consecutive days, every 
one of which was cold beyond precedent since the observations ”’ 
[at Camden Square] ‘‘ began in 1871.” 
Of the widespread presence of low earth temperatures none 
will need to be reminded who (in towns) were inconvenienced by 
the deficiency of water supplies from breaking of the supply- 
pipes, or (in farm work) by the long-continued impossibility of 
getting the plough into the frost-bound ground. For record of 
this we have only to refer back to the weather notices in our 
leading agricultural journals; but, taking just two or three by 
way of examples, we find in the ‘Dublin Farmer’s Gazette’ of 
March 2nd, 1895 :—‘‘ The wintry weather that set in at the end 
of December continued with more or less severity to almost the 
end of February. There was a frost every night till that of the 
27th—28th ; but now ... March has begun with a decided rise 
in the temperatures. The thaw seems also to be general in 
Great Britain; but the effects of the prolonged frost will be felt 
for some time to come.” In the ‘Agricultural Gazette’ for 
‘March 4th (1895) the report of February 28th from Nottingham 
is as follows :—‘‘ To use the language of the day, the month of 
February, 1895, has been a ‘record’ in the shape of Arctic 
severity. To have the thermometer from two to ten degrees 
below zero five or six nights in succession is not within the 
memory, I suppose, of the oldest inhabitant.” From West Herts 
(same date) it was noted :—‘‘ The frost is slowly going out of the 
ground. . . . Yesterday was the first day we have been able to 
plough since the long frost commenced.” 
For technical meteorological study, every detail will be found 
in the weather reports; but for the subject under consideration, 
the agricultural reports of the widespread impossibility of plough- 
ing consequently on the frost-bound state of the ground give a 
better basis to stand on, as to action of cold on the insect pre- 
sences frozen hard up in it, than anything else we could have. 
So far as I can judge from reports sent to myself during 1895, 
I should certainly say that in no case was there evidence to show 
that presence of insect infestation was lessened by the severe 
