Agriculture of Berkshire. 
5 
hy Surrey ; on the south by Hampshire ; and west hy Wiltshire. 
The climate is most healthy, and varies with its altitude and 
. aspect : some elevated portions of" tlie chalk-hills arc bleak and 
cold ; the valleys, on the other hand, are very mild and salu- 
brious. The most elevated portions are a series of downs, a 
cimtinuation of those on the northern part of Wilts ; they reach 
an altitude of 893 feet near the White Horse Hill, and terminate 
very abru})tly near Streatley, causing the bold and beautiful 
scenery for which that neighbourhood is celebrated. Here it 
seems as if by some extraordinary convulsion of nature a passage 
had been made for the Thames through the chain of hills which 
pass from Berkshire into Oxfordshire, and extend on through 
Buckingham. 
The latitudinal position of Berkshire places it among the 
most forward counties in England in respect of temperature. 
The amount of rain-fall, as registered at Whitewortham, in 
tliis county, for the year 1859 was 27*65 in. 
The following meteorological account for the year ending 
Michaelmas, 1859, was taken at Oxford, on the northern, and 
Aldershot on the southern, boundary of the county : — 
OXFORD. 
ALDEKSHOT. 
Months. 
Temperature. 
Eain. 
Months. 
Temperature. 
Rain. 
From 
Froni 
Oct. 1, 1858, 
Highest. 
Lowest. 
Mean. 
Inches. 
Oct.. 1»58 
Highest. 
Lowest. 
Mean. 
Inches. 
to Oct. 1,1859. 
to Oct., 1859. 
1858 
1858 
October .. 
66-9 
31-0 
50-2 
2-0 
October 
69-5 
30-0 
50 
9 
1 - 5 
November 
54-8 
15-4 
39-1 
0-8 
November 
55-5 
19-0 
39 
0 
0-6 
December 
53-2 
28-0 
40-2 
2-0 
December 
52-0 
25-0 
40 
8 
1-8 
1859 
1859 
.January . . 
53-5 
28-0 
40-5 
0-8 
.January 
51-5 
27-0 
43 
2 
1-0 
February 
56-0 
29-5 
42-9 
1-7 
February 
56-5 
30-0 
43 
9 
1-5 
March . . 
G4-0 
22-0 
45-6 
1-5 
March . . 
68-0 
26-0 
4G 
6 
1-5 
April 
74-5 
27-0 
45-0 
2-5 
April 
80-0 
26-0 
48 
6 
2-8 
May .. .. 
72-0 
37-0 
52-3 
1-7 
May 
78-4 
32-5 
51 
6 
2-2 
June . . , . 
77-0 
42-5 
60-5 
2-2 
June 
82-5 
41-5 
61 
2 
2-4 
July 
86-0 
51-0 
65-1 
2-8 
July .. 
93-0 
44-0 
67 
5 
1-6 
August .. 
81-0 
47-0 
61-4 
3-8 
August .. 
87-3 
46-5 
63 
5 
2-2 
•September 
71-5 
39-0 
55-4 
3-5 
September 
76-7 
40-5 
56 
4 
5-0 
Total .. 
25-3 
Total .. 
24-] 
The average depth of rain in Berkshire for a series of years is 
22*199 in. ; consequently we might infer from the Tables that the 
year ending Michaelmas, 1859, was more than usually wet, yet 
so far as agriculture is concerned, exactly the contrary was the 
«case ; for a season cannot, in an agricultural point of view, be 
