Lopping and Topping Trees. 
429 
It must not be forgotten, however, that the deficiency of rain 
was by no means confined to the winter months. With the excep- 
tion of the extreme northern and north-western portions of the 
Kingdom, where heavy rains fell during October and November, the 
autumn of last year was also unusually dry, this being more espe- 
cially the case over the eastern, centi-al, and southern parts of Eng- 
land, where the aggregate amount for the season was in many 
instances less than half the normal. Over nearly the whole of the 
remainder of England, and also in the south-east of Ireland, the 
aggregate for the six months was less than 70 per cent, of the 
average ; while over a considerable part of Scotland, with the north 
of England and the central parts of Ireland, it varied between 70 
and 90 per cent. In the north-west of Ireland the proportion of 
rain was more than 90 per cent., while in the north of Scotland, in- 
cluding the Hebrides, it was in excess of the average. In London 
the autumn and winter months were, as a whole, the driest ou 
record, and a similar remark applies to Oxford. 
It will be seen in conclusion, remarks Mr. Brodie, that, irre- 
spective of the prolonged frost, the season under discussion was 
characterised by various features which distinguished it from 
any other winter of recent years. Almost every element in the 
weather was influenced to an abnornaal degree by the remark- 
able prevalence of high bit'ometrical pressure, and if we were called 
upon to define the season of 1890-91, we should have little hesita- 
tion in giving it the name of the " Anticyclonic " winter. 
Eo. 
LOPPING AND TOPPING TREES. 
As many farm leases contain a clause to the effect that the tenant 
may not " cut, lop, top, or crop " the trees (except pollards) on the 
farm, it may be useful to report the following case, in which the 
Court of Appeal recently decided that to " lop " a tree is not the 
same thing as to " top " one. The case (Unwin v. Hanson ' ) arose 
under the 65th section of the Highways Act, 1835 (5 & 6 W. IV. 
c. 50), under which magistrates have power to order trees which 
overhang the highway, or damage it by excluding the sun and wind 
from it, or which obstruct it, to be pruned and lopped so as to pre- 
vent such damage or obstruction. The plaintiff was the owner of 
land adjoining a highway, and he brought his action against the 
defendant, who was the assistant-surveyor of the parish highways, 
' Eeported in the Times Law liq orts, Vol. VIT. p, 4S8. 
