96 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



as dull, damp, and cheerless ; the first portion of it was also very 

 stormy, and in some of the south-westerly gales which were experienced 

 the wind attained considerable strength. The temperature was upon 

 the whole rather below the normal, and occasionally sharp touches 

 of frost were recorded in the screen, whilst upon the ground frosts 

 were both frequent and severe. During the latter part of the month 

 there were many wet fogs, but the total precipitation from both 

 rain and fog was not very great. In addition to this there was very 

 little sunshine to relieve the general dullness of the month, but as the 



N 



8 



Fig. 8. — Annual Distribution of Winds round the Compass. The Pre- 

 valence of Calms is indicated on the same Scale by the Diameter 

 of the Central Circle. 



result of a few really bright days, the daily average duration of sun- 

 shine at the Gardens amounted to two and a half hours. Over the 

 kingdom generally a good deal of unharvested corn was spoilt by 

 the excessive wet even before it could be cut, and from the same 

 cause the unlifted potato crop also suffered, whilst autumn work 

 on the land was necessarily much delayed. It is, however, worth 

 noting that this was less due to the amount of the rainfall than to its 

 persistency, many observers calling special attention to the fact 

 that although the fall of rain was less than the normal amount it 

 was spread over an abnormally large number of days, resulting 

 in weather which can be better described as " damp and dull " than 

 as " rainy." It resulted, however, in much^ damage being done in 

 some districts to hay and corn — hay-making being still in progress 



