WEATHER AND OTHER NOTES. 61 
May. 
The merry month came in without her dewy distillation, 
which has been so long gathered and used as a wash to give 
bloom and freshness to the smiling maidens’ faces in the 
early morning hours. The want of May dew was compen- 
sated for by a mild fall of genial refreshing rain, accom- 
panied by a south-west wind, which was very welcome after 
the barren east wind during the end of April. This only 
continued for the day. Three barren days followed, with a 
cold, withering easterly wind, with sun during the day and 
frost at night. Three fine growing warm days followed. 
On the 8th a cold biting easterly wind set in, which was 
mostly in that direction till the 2oth. The following eight 
days were very fine and warm. The last three were cold 
and backward. The rainfall was low, viz., 1.43 inches, and 
all vegetation wanted rain. On the 12th and 28th Queens- 
berry and the distant Moffat hills were covered with snow. 
Blenheim orange apple come into bloom on the ist; garden 
strawberry on the, 13th chestnut on the 19th; hawthorn on the 
22nd. First wasp seen gathering food on the 22nd. The 
leaves of the oak were out some little time before the ash, 
which is rather unusual. There was sunshine on seventeen 
days at 9 a.m. The wind was principally from an easterly 
direction. There was very little growth, and stock put on 
grass parks had nothing like a full bite. Early potatoes 
were frosted rather badly on the 13th. Turnip sowing began 
on the 5th. Turnips sown about the 6th or 7th (that came 
under my observation) had to be sown over again; whilst 
those sown about the 11th came away at once and did well. 
JUNE. 
This month came in with a cloudy morning and a cold 
north-west barren wind. This was followed by fine warm 
dry summer weather generally throughout the month. There 
was a low rainfall.. This following a dry May, all crops 
suffered. By the middle of the month knowes were getting 
brown and many springs getting dry. This determined the 
character of the hay crop. On heavy soils in good heart 
