THE MANURING OF MARKET-GARDEN CROPS. 



100 



Rainfall. 



The rainfall, as indicated by observations made on our farm, has, from 

 the commencement of our experiments, been low as compared with the 

 records of the last twenty years (averaging 28*47 inches) taken in the 

 neighbouring town of Tonbridge, which is only about four miles distant. 

 Hadlow, however, lies in a basin surrounded by hills, and many rain- 

 storms break at the edge of the basin without reaching Hadlow. The 

 observations of the last eight years indicate that the rainfall on our farm 

 is from 1J inch to 2 inches less than at Tonbridge itself. There can, 

 therefore, be little doubt that our local climate is a dry one, even for the 

 neighbourhood. The following table shows the rainfall on the farm 

 during each year from 1895 to 1902 inclusive : — 





1895 



1896 



1897 



1898 



1899 



1900 



1901 







1902 





iu. 



in. 



iu. 



in. 



in. 



in. 



iu. 



in. 



January 



2-11 



072 



1-48 



0-57 



2 94 



3-01 



0-90 



0-97 



February . 



0-50 



0-30 



2-51 



1-24 



2-41 



5-25 



1-01 



1-22 



March 



1-52 



2-41 



3-99 



1-40 



0-93 



1-00 



2-08 



1-00 



April . 



1-91 



o-oo 



1-98 



0-91 



2-70 



0-85 



1-70 



0-51 



May . 



000 



0-33 



0-92 



3-00 



1-34 



1-14 



0-01 



2-42 



June . 



023 



3-23 



1-80 



1-40 



0-97 



3-32 



1-07 



215 



July . . 



2-85 



0-83 



0-30 



0-40 



1-35 



1-34 



1-91 



2-12 



August 



1-66 



1-52 



2-20 



1-22 



1-03 



2-00 



1-09 



2-79 



September . 



0-38 



5-75 



2-88 



0-35 



2-02 



0-83 



103 



1-82 



October 



2-89 



302 



0-30 



2-72 



1-81 



2-08 



2-33 



2-27 



November . 



5-03 



1-47 



1-18 



2-59 



4-39 



2-74 



0-72 



1-97 



December . 



3-81 



3-38 



3-39 



2-21 



1-55 



2-98 



3-95 



1-60 



Total 



23-55 



24-19 



2305 



18-25 



24-04 



20-00 



20-20 



21-44 



The average yearly rainfall recorded at Tonbridge (four miles away) for 

 twenty years previously was 28*47 inches. This would probably correspond 

 to 26^ inches if registered at Hadlow. 



It is well known that throughout the country for the last ten years 

 the rainfall has been much under average, and it therefore is not sur- 

 prising that at Hadlow itself we have suffered a good deal during several 

 years from drought at some period or another in the summer. In a 

 market garden bad weather, whether due to excessive cold, excessive heat, 

 excessive moisture-, or excessive drought, is sure to come at a time critical 

 for some one or other of the many crops cultivated. Even in seasons of 

 drought considerable variations occur in the distribution of the total rain- 

 fall over the various months in different years, and though we may have 

 consecutively two or three seasons which may be all classed as dry, yet the 

 drought in one year may occur at such a time as to injuriously affect one 

 crop, in another year at such a time as to affect another crop ; while con- 

 versely, even a scanty rainfall may so vary in its distribution as to favour 

 one crop in one year and another crop in another year. And the same 

 remarks are applicable even to wet seasons. It is only by collating and 

 averaging the experience obtained over a number of years that general 

 results can be deduced ; and the larger the number of seasons included in 



