50 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



February. — The frosty weather with which January closed con- 

 tinued and became more severe during the first week of February. 

 At Wisley on the morning of the 3rd a temperature of 17 degrees was 

 recorded by the thermometer in the screen, and the thermometer laid 

 upon the grass and fully exposed to the sky fell to 5 degrees Fahr. 

 But these low readings were considerably above some recorded else- 

 where, as in parts of Scotland, for example, where both the screened and 

 the exposed thermometers fell to below zero Fahr. This state of things 

 was, however, of brief duration, and under the influence of a southerly 

 current of air which set in at the close of the first week the weather 

 became much milder, and continued so with a few brief intermissions 

 throughout the remainder of the month. Notwithstanding, therefore, 

 the cold beginning, the mean temperature for the month was much 

 above the average, and indeed over the southern counties it was upon 

 the whole the mildest February experienced for many years. The 

 fall of rain somewhat exceeded the usual amount over some south- 

 western districts, but everywhere else it was below it and was especially 

 slight over the central and eastern counties of England. But although 

 the month was warm and dry it was not sunny, and the record of bright 

 sunshine was less than the average in nearly every part of the Kingdom. 

 The results from the observations made at Wisley are given in the 

 following table : 



February. 



Mean temperature of the air in shade . 



Highest temperature of the air in shade 



Lowest temperature of the air in shade. 



Lowest temperature on the grass . 



Number of nights of ground frost 



At depth of 

 1 ft. 2 ft. 4 ft. 



Mean temperature of the soil at 9 a.m. . 40-9° 40 7 0 42 8° 

 Highest temperature of the soil at 9 a.m. 47-6° 45-8° 45*2° 

 Lowest temperature of the soil at 9 a.m. 33-8° 35 7 0 40*9° 



Mean relative humidity of the air at 9 a.m. (complete saturation 

 being represented by 100), 86%. 



Rain fell on 16 days, to the total depth of 176 inch (equivalent 

 to about 8 \ gallons of water to the square yard). Heaviest fall on 

 any day 0 45 inch, on the 23rd. 



The prevailing winds were southerly. 



The average velocity of the wind was 8 miles an hour. 



There were 48 hours of bright sunshine, equal to 17 per cent, of 

 the greatest possible amount. 



There were 9 days on which no sunshine was recorded. 



March. — This was a month of unsettled weather, with an excessive 

 rainfall, a general deficiency of sunshine, and a marked absence of 

 warmth by day and also of low temperature at night. The small 

 daily range of temperature was due to the continuously clouded sky 



427° 



57-3° on the 28th 

 16-9° on the 3rd 

 5-3° on the 3rd 

 16 



