78 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, 



March. — The dominating features of the weather throughout this 

 month were very similar to those of February — gloomy, wet, and 

 stormy. Gales were unusually frequent, and although as a rule they 

 were not very severe, yet in some instances they caused considerable 

 damage to trees and shrubs. But the passage across the British Isles, 

 in a constant succession, of the atmospheric disturbances to which 

 these winds were due kept the weather in a most unsettled state ; 

 and since, as a rule, their centres passed along a south-west to north- 

 east track, the dominant winds were from the rainy quarter, and brought 

 with them not only an abundance of rain, but also a temperature 

 slightly above the average. At Wisley the total rainfall amounted 

 to over four inches, which is nearly twice the usual amount, March 

 being a month whose chief characteristics are dryness and dust. In 

 many parts of the country there were serious floods ; and generally 

 the conditions were such as to interfere with all garden and farm work 

 materially, and to retard the flowering of trees and shrubs, and the 

 progress of vegetation generally. 



The mean results of the daily observations made at Wisley are as 

 follows : — 



Mean temperature of the air in shade . . . .43-6° 

 Highest „ ,, „„.... 63 0 on the 31st 



Lowest „ „„.... 27 0 „ 28th 



Lowest „ on the grass . . . . . 18 0 „ 22nd 

 Number of nights of ground frost . . . . . . . .17 



At depth of 

 1 ft. 2 ft. 4 ft. 



Mean temperature of the soil at 9 a.m. . . . 42*6° 43"3° 43'8° 



Highest „ „ „ „ ... 46 0 45 0 45 0 



Lowest „ „ „ „ ... 39 0 42° 43 0 



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

 sented by 100), 86 per cent. 



"Rain fell on 25 days, to the total depth of 4-05 in. (equivalent to about 19 

 gallons of water to the square yard). Heaviest fall on any day 0 59 in., on the 

 9th. 



The prevailing winds were between south and west. 

 The average velocity of the wind was 10 miles an hour. 



There were 95 hours of bright sunshine, equal to 26 per cent, of the greatest 

 possible amount. 



There were 10 days on which no sunshine was recorded. 



April. — During the early part of this month there was but little 

 improvement in the weather, which continued to be very windy and 

 rainy, but towards the close of the second week a welcome change 

 set in and the remainder of the month was quiet and dry, with warm 

 days, followed by rather cool nights, and with an unusually large 

 amount of sunshine. Under these conditions the ground quickly 

 dried, and progress in gardening and farming operations again became 

 possible. Regarding the month as a whole it was dry, the total rain- 

 fall being only a little more than half the average amount, and almost 

 the whole of it fell within the first ten days. The amount of sunshine 

 recorded at Wisley gave a daily average of over seven and a half 

 hours, which is more than half the possible amount, supposing the 

 sun to have shone uninterruptedly every day from sunrise to sunset ; 

 the only entirely sunless day was the closing day of the month, which 



