58 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



With such weather conditions it is not surprising that the amount 

 of bright sunshine was everywhere small, many places recording less 

 than half the usual amount. " Observers in various parts of the 

 United Kingdom noticed that in the rare intervals of fine weather the 

 sky seldom assumed its ordinary blue tint, but appeared to be covered 

 with a hazy film producing gray whiteness of the unclouded sky and 

 extreme weakness of all sunshine. A similar appearance was noted 

 by several Continental observers." 



The results from the observations made at Wisley are shown in 

 the following table : 



August. 



Mean temperature of the air in shade . . 567 0 



Highest temperature of the air in shade . 67-6° on the 4th 



Lowest temperature of the air in shade . 41*2° on the 3rd 



Lowest temperature on the grass . . . 36-0° on the 3rd 



Number of nights of ground frost . . . None 



Mean temperature of the soil at 9 a.m. . 

 Highest temperature of the soil at 9 a.m. 

 Lowest temperature of the soil at 9 a.m. 



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

 being represented by 100), 82%. 



Rain fell on 26 days, to the total depth of 477 inches (equivalent 

 to about 22^ gallons of water to the square yard). Heaviest fall on 

 any day 0-54 inch, on the 25th. 



The prevailing winds were south-westerly. 



The average velocity of the wind was 7 miles an hour. 



There were 107 hours of bright sunshine, equal to 24 per cent, of 

 the greatest possible amount. 



There were 3 days on which no sunshine was recorded. 



At 



depth 



of 



1 ft. 



2 ft. 



4 ft. 



6o-o° 



59-8° 



59'4° 



61 -9° 



61 7 0 



6ro° 



57'6° 



57-S° 



58-4° 



September. — This was another exceptionally cool month, the 

 highest temperature reached at Wisley being only 66 degrees, and 

 similarly low maxima were experienced all over the Kingdom. The 

 coolness of August was due to the constant succession of atmospheric 

 disturbances arriving from the westward and bringing with them cold 

 winds from the Atlantic region, but now the conditions were changed 

 and the cold was due to persistent northerly or easterly winds which 

 were not only cold but very dry also. Until the last three days of 

 the month practically no rain at all fell over a large part of the Kingdom, 

 although the sky had been persistently cloudy and the amount of 

 bright sunshine everywhere very small. But on the 28th the drought 

 came to an end, and the amount of rain which fell during the last three 

 days was sufficient to raise the total for the month in some districts 

 to the average or even above it, and in others to about half the normal 



