70 MONTHLY FALL OF RAIN IN SUSSEX. 



The variations of heat and cold, and of dryness and moisture, 

 affect especially the gross produce of grass, oats, potatoes, and 

 some other green crops, and the relative proportions of grain 

 and straw in our crops of corn. Thus Mr Lawes observed that 

 in Hertfordshire the proportion of grain to straw in the wheat 

 crop for four successive years, during which different quantities 

 of rain fell, was, upon his experimental fields, nearly as 

 follows. For every thousand of straw, the grain obtained 

 was by weight * 



Unmanured. Most highly Average of all his 



manured. experiments. 



1844, . . 821 ... 892 ... 968 



1845, . . 534 ... 569 ... 599 



1846, . . 797 ... 750 ... 765 



1847, . . 590 ... 569 ... 580 



In 1844, the number of rainy days between May and harvest 

 was only 83 ; while in 1845 it was 110, or nearly one-half more ; 

 and it will be seen from the above table that the proportion of 

 grain to straw, in Mr Lawes' experiments, was inversely as the 

 number of rainy days during the season of growth. It is noto- 

 rious, also, that in the fens of Lincolnshire and Huntingdon, 

 the year 1844 was a most abundant wheat year nine quarters 

 being frequent, and, in a few cases, nearly ten quarters being 

 reaped from an imperial acre.")* 



If the following tabular view of the annual fall of rain on the 

 coast of Sussex published by Mr Graham, gardener at Bognor, 

 in Sussex, situated in a flat part of the country, ten miles from 

 the Downs, and about 250 yards from the sea is to be de- 

 pended upon, it shows how great are the variations in humidity 

 and fall of rain to which our climate, in some counties at least, 

 is subject. 



* Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society, riii., p. 230. 



f Mr Wood, a very clever and intelligent farmer, tenant of Mr Heathcote, of 

 Connington Castle, in Huntingdon, showed me a field, from an acre and 12 

 perches of which he reaped, on that year, 10 quarters and a bushel ; and the 

 whole of the field, he said, was nearly as good as this piece. There has not been 

 such another year since. 



