212 TRANSACTIONS AND PROCEEDINGS OF [Sess. lvi. 



descriptions, and over a large part of the country. In a 

 few districts the harvest was fairly well gathered, but mostly 

 the reverse was the case, and the potato crop a comparative 

 failure. 



Owing to the continued wet weather and immunity from 

 frost, many hardy shrubs, both deciduous and evergreen, 

 were still growing at the end of the month. 



Ehododendron ponticum and its progeny mostly made a 

 second growth. All the tender and some of the so-called 

 hardy annuals died an early death from cold and damp. 



OCTOBER. 



A chilly, wet, and comparatively sunless month. The 

 fine days recorded as such from beginning to end only count 

 one week, the remainder being very coarse. Floods and 

 storms were frequent and severely felt ; farm and garden 

 land suffered much from the immense access of water, apart 

 from the crops that were either in or on the ground ; it 

 will make winter tillage in heavy land difficult. The only 

 vegetation which has derived benefit by the deluge are those 

 trees whose roots run deep. Grass continued to grow at 

 the end of the month, and the fall of the leaf is this season 

 much later than is usual here. A storm of great severity 

 was experienced on the night of the 13th, leaving behind it 

 much disaster. The day temperature was nearly normal, 

 but the night temperature fell rapidly after the 22nd; the 

 lowest reading was 6°, on the night of the 24th. Total frost 

 17°, and thrice at freezing point. 



