158 Report of Experiments on the Gi'Otvth of Barley, 
more straw — in other words, a greater quantity of total produce? 
indicatino' greater luxuriance — 1863 was, on the other hand, a 
considerably more productive wheat-year than 1854, and espe- 
cially so in corn. Both years were, however, remarkable for very 
large produce of both corn and straw, of both wheat and barley. 
The years next in order of productiveness, so far as the barley 
crop is concerned, were 1857 and 1864, which were very good 
wheat years also. But neither 1863, nor either of the two years 
last mentioned, yielded anything like the same amount of total 
crop, corn and straw together, as 1854. The years next in order 
to 1856 in point of badness of barley-crop were 1859, 1860, 
1868, and 1870 ; the deficiency in the two last-mentioned years 
being due to summer heat and drought, but in the other two 
seasons to very opposite conditions. 
The question arises — to what characters of season are the 
extreme differences of produce which have been traced to be 
attributed ? Referring to the details already given respecting 
each individual season, so far as the other years above enume- 
rated are concerned, it must suffice here to recall attention to the 
* distinctive characters of the season of 1856 yielding the worst, 
and of 1854 yielding the best, barley-crop of the twenty years. 
The very unusually productive season of 1854 had been 
preceded by a very severe winter; March and April were upon 
the whole warmer than usual, but May, June, July, and August 
were pretty uniformly below the average temperature ; whilst in 
March, April, June, and July there was a very considerable 
deficiency of rain, though more than the average number of 
rainy days. In May, however, there was about double the usual 
amount of rain, and an unusually large number of rainy days. 
In August, again, there was a full amount of rain, which, how- 
ever, fell for the most part in heavy showers, and the month was 
upon the whole favourable for ripening and harvest. 
Thus, the season of 1854 was characterised by prevailing low 
rather than high temperatures, an abundance of rain at the period 
of early active growth (doubtless favouring root development), 
and again before harvest, but otherwise by dryness as well as 
coolness. It would seem, therefore, that the large produce was 
due to a sufficiency of moisture within the soil when most 
wanted, with, at other times, comparatively dry and temperate 
atmospheric conditions, resulting in a continuity of unchecked 
growth, rather than in very active luxuriance at intervals. 
Compared, or rather contrasted, with the above climatic con- 
ditions, those of the extremely unfavourable season of 1856 were 
as follows: — 
There had been some severe weather in the early part of the 
winter, but the later and greater part was upon the whole mild. 
