66 The Rothamsted Wheat Experiments. 



than the average fall of rain, so that the plant was brought 

 early forward. Then came, in the early summer, a consider- 

 able amount of rain, after which there was a deficiency up to 

 harvest. The temperature was only about the average in 

 June and July, conducing to continued luxuriance rather than 

 to early maturation ; whilst August, the harvest month, was 

 both warmer and drier than usual. The conditions were, 

 therefore, those of a lengthened and almost unbroken course 

 of gradual accumulation, with, finally, a favourable ripening 

 period. The crop of 1864 was produced under the influence 

 of warmer than average weather in early winter and in spring ; 

 only moderate, or even lower than average summer, 

 temperatures, but much less than the average fall of rain 

 from seed-time to harvest ; every month being considerably 

 deficient, excepting May, which was average, and March, in 

 which alone there was an excess. In the season of 1863 the 

 period of growth was almost throughout one of drought, with 

 high temperatures prevailing through spring and summer; 

 the result was a very early harvest, a not bulky but a high- 

 yielding crop on good and well-farmed soils, but a deficient 

 one on light and poorly-farmed land. After a by no means 

 favourable winter, followed by prolonged spring and summer 

 drought and heat, the wheat crop of 1870 was deficient in 

 straw, and also yielded less corn than that of 1868, but still 

 considerably more than the average, with a high proportion 

 of corn to straw, and high quality of grain. Generally 

 speaking, out of the six years of highest productiveness 

 throughout thirty-six seasons (1844-1879) of experiments, 

 the three which gave the highest produce of all (1863, 1864, 

 and 1854) were marked by generally higher than average 

 mean temperatures during the winter and early spring 

 (excepting the early winter of 1853-4, which was severe), but 

 generally only average, or lower than average, summer 

 temperatures. Indeed, June, 1854, was colder than June of 

 the disastrous year 1879. Each was also characterised by 

 very much less than the average fall of rain from seed-time to 



