126 Report of Experiments on the Growtii of Barley, 
remark, that with the winter-sown wheat the result was reversed ; 
for with it the larger produce of both corn and straw — indeed 
the largest ever obtained — was in 1863. The difference is, how- 
ever, explicable by the very different characters of the winters in 
the two cases. The winter of 1853-4 was unusually severe, and 
the wheat-plant backward in the early spring ; whereas the winter 
of 18G2-3 was mild, with a good deal of rain in January, and 
the plant was very forward in the spring. It would, therefore, 
the less require liberal rains before June than the spring-sown 
barley, and would be in a better state for benefitting by the 
generally favourable climatic conditions of the spring and summer 
than the less forward wheat-plant of 1854. 
Tldrt.eenth Season, 1864. 
October, November, and December, 1863, were warmer than 
usual, with about, but upon the whole, less than the average 
amount of rain. January and February, 1864, though including 
some abnormally warm intervals, embraced longer periods of 
very cold and wintry weather, which checked forward vegetation ; 
there was considerably less than the average fall of rain in 
January, and a very small fall, including snow, in February. In 
March the rainfall was large — the first half of the month generally 
warm, the latter half cold — and, upon the whole, the quarter had 
been very variable, colder than usual, with many alternations from 
frost to thaw. April and May were, for the most part, warm, 
with less than the average amount of rain ; but the end of May 
and nearly the whole of June were comparatively cold, but with 
little rain. There was very unusually little rain in July and 
August, but an excess in September. The day-temperatures 
generally ranged high in July, but about the average in August 
and September ; whilst the night-temperatures were somewhat 
below the average in July, much below in August, and about 
the average in September. In June and July the dew-point Avas 
below, and in August very much below, the average. The 
degree of humidity of the air was in June low, in July about 
the average, and in August very remarkably below the average. 
Thus, the winter was very variable, including a good deal of 
warm, but also much very cold and wintry weather, though with 
comparatively little rain. The spring, though changeable and wet 
at the beginning, was, upon the whole, warm and dry ; June was 
cold and dry, whilst the rest of the summer was hot in the day 
and cold at night, with very little rain, and in August especially 
a very dry atmosphere. 
The wheat crop of the country proved to be, in quantity, much 
above the average on good soils, but below the average on poor 
