and of Rural Improvement generally, during 1839. 705 



thunder and lightning at night. Occasionally the nights were 

 frosty, the degree of cold being sufficient to act as a salutary 

 check on vegetation, which a temperature approaching to 60° in 

 the shade would have otherwise advanced in some instances 

 beyond safe limits. December was seasonable ; the mean tem- 

 perature was upwards of 38° ; the amount of rain 1 T 7 ^ in. 

 The temperature of January, 1839, was between 1° and 2° 

 above the average. This month was, however, remarkable for 

 a hurricane, the violence of which was perhaps as unprecedented 

 in this country as was the severity of the frost in the correspond- 

 ing month of 1838 ; for the latter killed various species of vege- 

 tation that had survived for centuries, and the former threw 

 down trees that had existed in parks and forests for as long a 

 period. [See details : for England, in p. 91. 195. 477. 571. ; for 

 Scotland, in p. 196.; and for Ireland, p. 198.] February was 

 of nearly medium temperature for the period of the season. 

 March was more than 3° ; and April more than 4° below the 

 average temperature of these months. This appears to have 

 had the effect of retarding vegetation fully three weeks. The 

 common almond was not in flower before the 12th of April ; a 

 week later than in 1838, yet ten days earlier than in 1837 ; the 

 spring of which was the latest and most sunless of the three. 

 It may be mentioned by way of contrast, that in 1834 the 

 almond was in flower on the 1st of February, a difference of 

 eighty-one days. In the present season the common hawthorn 

 was in leaf on April 20. ; and the horsechestnut on April 30. 

 The walnut was in leaf about the middle of May, and in many 

 instances their shoots were then killed by the successive frosts 

 of the nights of the 14th, 15th, 16th, and 17th." 



The monthly amount of rain, and the mean temperature, for 

 the period commencing November 1838, and ending October 

 1839, is as follows : — 



1838. Nov. 

 Dec. 



1839. Jan. 

 Feb. 

 Mar. 

 April 



In the neighbourhood of London, 2 inches are about the 

 average quantity of rain for a month. 



Fruit Trees. — " Orchard fruit trees were generally in blossom 

 about the middle of May, and of course suffered much from 

 the severe frost which then happened In some parts of the 

 country, the apple blossoms were entirely destroyed. In the 

 neighbourhood of London the blossoms of this kind of fruit on 

 dwarf trees suffered much more than those on standards in the 



Rain. 



Mean 





Rain. 



Mean 



Inches. 



Temp. 





Inches. 



Temp. 



3-55 



42-55° 



1839. May 



0-82 



52-6 l c 



1-72 



38 



June 



3 



59'5 



1-27 



37-69 



July 



2-92 



61-61 



2-19 



40-65 



Aug. 



1-85 



61-41 



1-95 



40-21 



Sept. 



3-92 



57-71 



1-46 



44*49 



Oct. 



2-23 



51-4 



