132 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
Mean relative humidity of the air at 9 a.m. (complete saturation being repre- 
sented by 100) 92 per cent. 
Rain fell on 8 days, to the total depth of 2-12 in. (equivalent to about 10 gallons 
of water to the square yard). Heaviest fall on any day 0-65 in., on the nth. 
The prevailing winds were north-easterly and south-westerly. 
The average velocity of the wind was 4 miles an hour. 
There were 65 hours of bright sunshine, equal to 25 per cent, of the greatest 
possible amount. P 
There were 10 days on which no sunshine was recorded. 
December. — In the closing month of the year the type of weather 
became entirely different from that of its immediate predecessor, the 
change having begun to develop at the close of November. Right 
through the month, with very brief intermission, a series of atmospheric 
disturbances continued to pass across the country, bringing with 
them wet and stormy weather to all parts of the kingdom, some of the 
gales being very violent and destructive, and accompanied by excessive 
falls of rain. In one of these storms it was stated that in one part of 
South Wales over one thousand trees were uprooted by the wind, and 
that in other districts much damage of a miscellaneous kind was done 
to buildings. With these gales there was an excessive rainfall, rain 
falling nearly every day, and in some districts to between three and 
four times the normal amount. At the Garden the total was double 
the normal, but in parts of East Surrey it was fully fifty per cent, 
larger than at Wisley. The temperature was higher than is usual, at 
any rate in most parts of the kingdom ; frosts were rare and did not 
last long when they occurred ; but nevertheless very little gardening 
work could be done, owing to the persistent wetness. Bright sunshine 
was, as might have been expected, very intermittent and scanty, and 
at Wisley there was but one really bright day. 
The results obtained from the observations made at the Garden are 
shown in the following table : 
Mean temperature of the air in shade .... 43*5° 
Highest ,, 56 0 on the 10th 
Lowest „ „„.... 28 0 „ 13th 
,, on the grass ..... 12 0 ,, 13th 
Number of nights of ground frost ... . . . . 14 
At depth of 
1 ft. 2 ft. 4 ft. 
Mean temperature of the soil at 9 a.m. . . . 42 0 43" 2 ° 44 -8 ° 
Highest „ „ „ . . . 45 0 45 0 46 0 
Lowest „ „ 38 0 42 0 44° 
Mean relative humidity of the air at 9 a.m. (complete saturation being repre- 
sented by 100) 92 per cent. 
Rain fell on 24 days, to the total depth of 5-07 in. (equivalent to about 23^ 
gallons of water to the square yard). Heaviest fall on any day 0-59 in., on the 
9th. 
The prevailing winds were south-westerly. 
The average velocity of the wind was 8 miles an hour. 
There were 33 hours of bright sunshine, equal to 14 per cent, of the greatest 
possible amount. 
There were 13 days^on which no sunshine was recorded. 
