420 
The Winter 0/ 1885-86. 
Lord Emlyn's agent has also sent me a Table of the rainfall 
at Golden Grove, Carmarthenshire, for 1885, which bears out 
the fact that the failure of the pastures and root crops of 1885 
was not due to any want of rain. In fact, the rainfall for the 
year was exceptionally heavy, being as below : — 
Month. 
January .. 
February 
March .. 
April 
May 
June 
July 
August . , 
September 
October .. 
November 
December 
Total for 1885 59-86 
In my own district there is not much to add to the Table 
given for Frome, except that the returns there do not show the 
excessive dryness of the air during the months of February, 
and up to about March 16th. This would not be registered in 
the usual way, as the wet-bulb thermometer was frozen up during 
the whole of the period ; but it was indicated to some extent 
by noticing the difference between the ordinary shade tempe- 
rature-thermometer and the dry-bulb thermometer, which was 
fully exposed to the current of the wind, and both faced the 
north. The dry bulb thus exposed stood often as much as 6^ 
below the other, and this through the whole day and for days 
together. This is an important point to know, as it demon- 
strates the chilling effect of the north-east wind, and also 
explains how it happened that any water dropping, and that was 
freely exposed to the wind, remained frozen all day, even 
though the shade thermometer would be probably showirtg a 
temperature of 38°, or even 40°. The effect of such a wind as 
this upon vegetation and upon the cultivation of land must 
have been very great, and was really a repetition of the ex- 
perience at the end of the summer. This is the explanation of 
the fact — to which Mr. G. J. Symons, F.R.S., drew attention 
in the ' Times,' — that for twenty-seven years at least, February 
had not been so cold as this year. " There were," he said, 
"only eight days in the month on which the temperature rose 
to 40°, and the ground was frozen every night but two. The 
characteristic of the month has, therefore, been not severe frost, 
but persistent — in fact, almost uninterrupted — low temperature." 
Rainfall. 
Inches. 
5-48 
9-42 
2- 19 
3- 58 
8-45 
4- 05 
2- 05 
3- 82 
7-53 
5- 33 
5-81 
2-15 
