Characteristics of a Good Season. 



211 



and without manure, and with purely mineral manure, 

 the excess amounted to more than the average produce of 

 those plots. 



TABLE LIV. PRODUCE OF HAT PER ACRE ON SELECTED PLOTS. 

 AVERAGE OP THE 20 YEARS ; PRODUCE OF 1869, THE YEAE OF 

 HIGHEST PRODUCTIVENESS; PRODUCE OF 1870, THE YEAR OF LOWEST 

 PRODUCTIVENESS ; DIFFERENCE OF EACH FROM THE AVERAGE ; AND 

 DIFFERENCE OF THE ONE FROM THE OTHER. 



The character of the weather of 1868-9 is thus summarised : 

 After five months of unusually high temperature (May to 

 September, 1868), and unusual drought during the first three 

 of them, the two following months (October and November, 

 18o'8) were again dry, but cold. The three winter months 

 were very warm, and all more or less, but December especially, 

 very wet. The result was an unusual winter growth of grass. 

 The dry and cold weather of March, however, checked vege- 

 tation ; but, with its early start and marked progress in the 

 winter, it recovered rapidly under the influence of the very 

 warm and sufficiently wet weather of April. The two 

 remaining months of the grass season were, however, 

 unusually cold, May being at the same time very wet, but 

 June dry, a condition which was compensated by the previous 

 abundance of moisture ; whilst, although the ruling temper- 

 atures were low for those months, they were yet actually 



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