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THE CYCLE YEAE 1905 AND THE COMING SEASON. 



By D. E. Hutchins, F.E.Met.Soc. 



(Bead November 29, 1905.) 



The year 1905 is an important one to those who are interested in 

 long-period weather forecasts. The year 1905 is the calculated 

 maximum of sunspots, and, so far as one can judge by the sun's 

 present appearance, it is likely to be the year of actual maximum sun- 

 spots. The year 1905 is a maximum rainfall year according to another 

 of my Cape cycle years, namely, the 12-5-year cycle, which, in compli- 

 ment to Dr. Meldrum (one of the first investigators in this field of 

 inquiry), I have named Meldrum's cycle. And Broekner's 35-year 

 cycle comes also into operation, as I shall explain later. We have 

 thus as regards the year 1905 and the coming season three cycles 

 favourable to good seasons. I propose now to glance briefly at each 

 of these cycles, and then to consider what may be their effect on the 

 coming season. 



Sunspot or Solar Cycle of 11*11 Years. 



The solar cycle has a mean period of 11*11 years. Sunspots 

 have been observed to have a period which is sometimes so much 

 more than 11 years, and sometimes so much less, that occasionally 

 we have a maximum getting into the place of a minimum, or vice 

 versa. This has occurred twice since sunspots have been under 

 observation, but other solar phenomena, such as faculse and terres- 

 trial phenomena, which are directly dependent upon the solar cycle, 

 show less variation than the sunspots as observed. For the purposes 

 of my forecasts, prepared in 1888, I have adhered to the mean period 

 of 11*11 years, and the rains which are reasonably referable to the 

 solar period, it will be seen from the cyclical diagram on the wall, 

 have not varied more than a year from the 11*11 period. Thus, in 

 1850 the sunspot rains were punctual at the sunspot maximum ; in 

 1861 these rains came a year late ; in 1872 they were punctual ; 

 in 1883 they were punctual ; in 1895 they came a year late. The 



