566 On the supposed Changes of the Climate of England, 



mature in the end of November, than it would have been, in 

 a warm and favourable situation and season, in the end of 

 July ; and I thought the whole of it must have inevitably 

 perished. 



Supposing the ground to contain less water in the com- 

 mencement of Winter on account of the operation of the 

 drains above-mentioned, as it almost always will, and generally 

 must do, more of the water afforded by dissolving snows, and 

 the cold rains of Winter, will be necessarily absorbed by it ; 

 and in the end of February, however dry the ground may 

 have been at the Winter solstice, it will almost always be 

 found saturated with water derived from those unfavourable 

 sources ; and as the influence of the sun is as powerful on 

 the last day of February, as on the 15th day of October, and 

 as it is almost wholly the high temperature of the ground in 

 the latter period, which occasions the different temperature of 

 the air in those opposite seasons, I think it can scarcely be 

 doubted that if the soil have been rendered more cold by 

 having absorbed a larger portion of water at very near the 

 freezing temperature, the weather of the Spring must be, to 

 some extent, injuriously affected. But whether it be owing 

 to the preceding, or other causes, I feel most perfectly confi- 

 dent that the weather in the Spring has been considerably 

 less favourable to the blossoms of Fruit Trees, and to vege- 

 tation generally, during the last thirty years, than it was in 

 the preceding period of the same duration ; and I shall in con- 

 clusion adduce one fact, the evidence of which I think cannot 

 easily be controverted. The Herefordshire farmers formerly 

 calculated upon having a full crop of acorns upon the oaks, 

 which grew dispersed over their farms, once in three years ; 



