196 A yeae's weather. 



1865, 5-33 3 ^^^3^ 4'o^ ; i860, 578 ; i8_59, 4-35 ; 1857, 3-02 : and 

 1852, 4*57-inches. The frequency of the wet August months shews 

 the farmer has good cause to grumble, and probably within recent 

 times he had never greater justification than this month. 



A glance at the tabulated average rainfalls for 1890 and 1891 

 shews that we had about y^-inches less of rain for the first half of 

 this year than we had during the same period last year. The table 

 shews, too, that though July, of 1891, was drier than that of 1890, 

 yet the excess of rainfall for August this year, 2'69-inches over 

 August last year, was so great that the second half of 1 89 1 is, so far, 

 wetter than 1890. During July and August, 1890, we received 

 7-46-inchesj the same two months of 1891, 8'io-inches of rain. 

 We learn, too, that the crops hereabouts have had poured upon them 

 6o"79 gallons of rain per acre more this August than in August, 

 1890. We cease to wonder at swollen streams, flooded meadows, 

 soddened fields, and sprouted corn with excess of rain. Below is 

 appended table of average rainfalls : — 



40 years' mean. 1890 1891. 



January ... 4'85-ins 5-62-ins 3'40-ins. 



February ... 3-38-ins 1-84-ins 0-22-ins. 



March 29 1 -ins 1-87-ins 3-90-ins. 



April 2-61-ins 401-ins 248-ins. 



May 2-45-ins 506-ins 2-26-ins. 



June 2-39-ins 417-ins 2-86-ins. 



July 2-60-ins. 3-67-ins 1-62-ins. 



August 3-01-ins 3-79-ins 6-48-ins. 



Total ... 24'20-ins 30-03-ins 23'22-ins. 



The monthly mean height of the barometer was 29'83-inches ; 

 the mean of the greatest heat in shade during the day, 6^-3 degrees ; 

 mean of night temperatures, 52*0 degrees. The warmest 

 day was on the 15th, 74 degrees, the coldest night 37 degrees, on 

 the 28th. It is singular that the district, in which the cuckoo is first 

 heard recorded the first frost on the morning of the 30th, when the 

 dahlias and other plants were frost-bitten. 



In August, 1 79 1 — a hundred years ago — the register bristles 

 with this remark, "good harvest day." Would that I could have 

 truthfully written the same this year. On the 8th early oats were 

 reaped, 15th wheat cut, 22nd corn housed. Pastures were bare, no 

 after grass this season, and the want of grass general. Mushrooms 



