120 



TRANSACTIONS AND PROCEEDINGS OF THE [Sess. lv. 



With such difficulties to encounter I do httle more than 

 supply the facts for a single year, as probably one of the first 

 contributions of the kind, but I may draw attention to one 

 or two salient results. 



1. The heavy and steady rainfall of five weeks, beginning 

 June 9th, 1890, amounting to 3| inches, was synchronous with 

 a great falling off" in girth -increase, although the temperature 

 did not fall ; but it would be rash to conclude that a heavy 

 rainfall is unfavourable to the growth of wood, for it must be 

 remembered that there was probably a deficiency of sun- 

 shine, and that the season pieviously had been rainy, not 

 to mention that the law of summer retardation may have 

 come into play. 



2. From the 13th July onwards the weekly girth-increase 

 appears to rise and fall with the weekly average max. temp., 

 but no such relation can be traced in the earlier part of the 

 season. 



3. Tlie remarkably rainy, cool, and cloudy summer had no 

 prejudicial effect on wood-growth. On the contrary, my 

 measurements of the trees concerned, as well as of about 50 

 other young trees and 50 old trees, show that the increase of 

 1890 was considerably greater than in any of the previous 

 six years. 



Table VII. — Weekly Girth-Increase, Temperature, and Eainfall. 



