55 



THE CROP RESULTS. 

 OCTOBER, 1920, TO SEPTEMBER, 1921. 



This was perhaps the most remarkable season we have had, 

 ahnost every month giving some new record. 



October, 1920, was a beautiful month; fine, sunny and dry, 

 with gentle N.E. winds. The clock was changed on the night of 

 Sunday, October 17th, thus facilitating morning work. Winter 

 ploughing was pushed well ft)rvvard and j^otato work was done in 

 dry and comfortable conditions. 



November also was dry (indeed some places were short of 

 water), so that nil corn sowing and root carting were readily 

 completed. 



After the middle of December there was much rain, but the 

 weather continued mild ; the arable land lay wet, but as against 

 this the grain grew well and the bullocks remained out throughout 

 January. 



January of 1921 was the warmest January on record; on no 

 less than 23 days in the month the maximum temperature rose to 

 48° or above. There was no frost that survived the morning sun, 

 and indeed by the end of the inonth there had been only four or 

 five really cold days since Christmas. On January 25th, at about 

 10 p.m. an arc of a lunar rainbow was seen in the north by 

 Messrs. Bowden and Seabrook. 



February was dry throughout, there being only 0.21 inches of 

 rainfall against the average 2.02 inches. There had been no such 

 dry February since 1895 ; it was, however, colder than January. 

 The winter was one of the mildest within our recollection, much 

 facilitating work in the gardens. 



In March the weather turned cold, but the drought continued; 

 there fell just over one inch of rain. The dry weather favoured 

 the suppression of the black-bent grass in Broadbalk wheat, but 

 it caused some injury to the spring sown corn. April began dry, 

 but nearly half-an-inch of rain fell on the 13th, and the total fall 

 for the month was only 0.55 ins. less than the average. 



May, like April, had somewhat less than the average rainfall 

 (.45 ins. less), but was beautifully warm. 



June was the driest June for 100 years. The farm well ran 

 dry about May 25th for the first time since it was made in 

 1913, and water had to be carted to the farm. The weather set 

 in dry and hot, and continued like this all through the summer 

 and autumn, making 1921 a year to be remembered as one of the 

 best by all holiday makers. 



The drought and hot weather continued right through August 

 and September; the harvest was probably the earliest and the 

 finest for weather we have had. Broadbalk was cut on July 27th, 

 the earliest date since 1896. Many farmers cut and carted their 

 corn on the same day. 



The rapidity with which the harvest was cleared away allowed 

 unusually good facilities for stubble cleaning. Good work was 

 done with a Ransome tractor broadshare, which cut all tap roots 

 of weeds, broke up the surface soil to a depth of 3 inches and left 

 it ridged up. While the dry weather lasted the grass and other 

 weeds were dying, and when rain came the weed seeds germinated 



