48 ROUND THE YEAR 



give us the figures for central Yorkshire in their 

 handbook on Artificial Fertilisers. They have taken 

 the average monthly rainfall for forty-six years (1849 

 to 1894), and have arranged the months in order of 

 dryness, allowing for the varying number of days in 

 the month. " This brings out the interesting fact that 

 in this district the first four months of the year differ 

 but little in their rainfall, and are the driest of the 

 twelve ; that the amount of the rainfall rises steadily 

 through May and June to July, which has usually a 

 much larger rainfall than any earlier month. After 

 this the record declines evenly through August and 

 September, only to rise again in October, which 

 shares with July the joint distinction of being the 

 wettest of the twelve ; the comparatively dry months 

 of November and December leading up to the still 

 drier months of the opening year." 



The next thing is to find out whether the distribu- 

 tion of the rain according to season is the same in 

 other parts of the country. Mr. R. H. Scott l gives 

 the monthly rainfall for London. March is the driest 

 month, October the wettest, a secondary maximum 

 occurring in July. The seasonal distribution in 

 London is therefore much the same as at York. 

 But when we examine the records of the western 

 counties we find a difference. The maximum for the 

 year comes later, in November, and the spring is not 

 so dry as in the eastern counties. 



Are our beliefs as to the wetness of winter and the 

 dryness of summer mere mistakes ? Not at all ! We , 

 judge by the state of the ground, not by the amount 

 1 Elementary Meteorologv^ Fig. 38. 



