The Cycle Year 1905 and the Coming Season. 245 



colonies show the same remarkably heavy rainfalls, but a year, or 

 perhaps tiuo, sooner (the records from these stations are not in 

 calendar years). There have been nothing like such rains since 

 either at Johannesburg or Bulawayo. We know now that as regards 

 1905 this cycle has not come in a pronounced form a year sooner 

 at the northern stations ; but we must not forget the interference of 

 the two cycles this year — 1905. 



The Solar Cycle Bams of 1894. 



Looking at the Eoyal Observatory cyclical diagram, you will see 

 that the solar maximum rains of 1894 came weak and a year late 

 in 1895. The weakness on the Royal Observatory diagram is local. 

 At Ceres, the other end of the axis of heavy western rainfall, the 

 rainfall for 1895 was 57^-, against an average of 39 inches. At 

 eastern stations the solar maximum rains of 1894 failed or came 

 a year late. The rains failed at many eastern stations in Cape 

 Colony; there were pronounced rains in Natal, but a year late, viz., 

 in 1895. At all stations in Cape Colony where these solar rains 

 were felt they came a year late. At northern stations, Johannes- 

 burg and Bulawayo, the solar rains were well developed and 

 punctual, and, like the Meldrum cycle rains mentioned above, they 

 came a year before the Cape rains. 



" Lag " solar rains can be seen for certain nowhere. This is 

 perhaps due to the interference of the more powerful "Storm" 

 cycle. As we have seen, these " Lag " rains have on certain 

 previous occasions been strongly marked, so that their failure, 

 owing perhaps to the interference of the Storm cycle in 1897, is 

 notable. 



The Storm Cycle Bains of 1897. 



There were some violent storms in 1897. (In July of that year a 

 railway train was blown over bodily as it stood in a siding between 

 Woodstock and Salt River, near Cape Town.) But the rainfall was 

 late and weak. It was weak at most stations, and a year late at all 

 stations in Cape Colony and the Natal coast. As on every previous 

 occasion for the last 65 years, it brought no rain to Maritzburg. 

 At the northern stations, Johannesburg and Bulawayo, it was 

 punctual, coming again about a year sooner than in the south. 



The Irregular Bains of 1902, 1903, in the South-toest. 



I am not here this evening to undertake special pleading on behalf 

 of the three Cape weather cycles, and I freely admit that these 



