76 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



and the closing days of the month were much less arctic in character. 

 A good deal of damage was done in gardens by the severe cold, and at 

 Wisley various trees and shrubs, which had been coaxed by the mild 

 weather which had preceded it into making new growths prematurely, 

 were severely cut back. There were a few favoured districts which 

 had rather more than their average amount of sunshine, but over the 

 greater part of the kingdom the amount registered was considerably 

 less than usual. At Wisley it averaged less than an hour and a quarter 

 a day, and more than half of the total amount was recorded in the 

 first week. But although the weather was cloudy and dull it was also 

 unusually dry, and there were few parts of England where the rainfall 

 amounted to so much as one half the average quantity. At Wisley 

 the total fall was only half an inch, one half of which fell on one day. 



The results obtained from the observations made at Wisley each 

 day at 9 a.m. are summarized in the following table : — 



Mean temperature of the air in shade . . . .37-1° 

 Highest ,, 55 0 on the 9th 



Lowest ,, ,, 15 0 24th 



Lowest ,, on the grass ..... 7-5° 23rd 

 Number of nights of ground frost . . . . . . . .24 



At depth of 



I ft. 2 ft. 4 ft. 



Mean temperature of the soil at 9 a.m. . . . 37"4° 39'5° 4 2 "4° 



Highest „ „ „ „ ... 44 0 43 0 44 0 



Lowest „ „ ... 34 0 37 0 41 0 



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

 sented by 100), 92 per cent. 



Rain fell on 10 days, to the total depth of 0-53 in. (equivalent to about 2\ 

 gallons of water to the square vard). Heaviest fall on any dav 0 23 in., on the 

 9th. 



The prevailing winds were from S.W. and N.E. 



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



There were 39 hours of bright sunshine, equal to 15 per cent, of the greatest 

 possible amount. 



There were 11 days on which no sunshine was recorded. 



February. — The advent of February brought with it a type of 

 weather entirely different from that which had prevailed throughout 

 January, and the month was windy, mild, and wet, the latter feature 

 being especially marked all over the western portion of the kingdom, 

 where the rainfall was in many districts the heaviest experienced in 

 February for many years. But all over the south of England also 

 the fall of rain exceeded the normal amount, and in the Thames Valley 

 there were very serious floods, a great deal of land in the neighbourhood 

 of Wisley being for some days under water. An exception to the 

 general wetness was found in the eastern parts of England, where the 

 total rainfall for the month was rather less than the average. The 

 month was also exceptionally warm, the temperature exceeding the 

 average all over the kingdom. At Wisley the thermometer rose to 

 nearly 50 degrees, and frequently to above that point, every day ; and 

 in London maxima exceeding 50 degrees were recorded on eighteen 

 consecutive days, which for February was a record experience. All 

 through the month, too, the weather was windy and boisterous, and 

 in some gales the wind attained great violence and did a good deal of 



