Characteristics of a Bad Season. 27 



Turning now to the fateful season of 1878-79, the weather 

 up to Oct. 21, 1878, was fine and warm ; but it became cold 

 and wet from Oct. 22 to Dec. 6, when severe frosts set in, and 

 lasted till Dec. 26. There was, then, a good seed time, followed 

 by intensely cold, wet weather, till nearly the end of the year, 

 the temperature of the whole month of December being 

 6 degrees below the average. In 1879, January was one of 

 the coldest months ever recorded, the thermometer standing 

 below freezing point throughout ; snow covered the ground, 

 the days were nearly sunless, and the wind N. and N.E. 

 February very cold, with a great excess of rain, and much 

 snow. March first warm, then cold, with snow on the 21st ; 

 but the last days of the month warm. The five months 

 ending March 31 were described as exceedingly cold, with 

 much rain and snow. The next three months were cold, wet, 

 and sunless ; whilst, for lowness of temperature, the eight 

 months ending with June, 1879, have only been once exceeded 

 during the one hundred years and upwards which have 

 elapsed since the first records were kept at Greenwich. July 

 was dull, cold, and sunless ; rain fell every day during the 

 first half of the month, and frequently afterwards, sometimes 

 mixed with snow. August was a very cold, wet month ; there 

 were a few warm days, during which no rain fell ; and there 

 were a few fine, dry days in the early part of September, after 

 which rain fell almost daily until the end of the month. 

 The wheat crop of 1879 was the worst grown in Great 

 Britain since the year 1816. It was estimated that the 

 crop of the country was not much more than half an 

 average one. 



If, from an examination of the results of the first twenty 

 years' experiments on the continuous, growth of wheat, an 

 attempt be made to determine whether the latter or the 

 earlier seasons were probably on the average the more favour- 

 able, the annual produce without manure would appear at first 

 sight to afford the safest means of judging. A comparison 

 of the tables showing the produce of each season serves to 



