Experimental Plots at Rothamsted, from 1864 to 1883. 399 
warmer than usual. Later in May, besides some very warm 
weather, there was a longer period that was extremely cold, with 
a dry atmosphere, and frosty nights, which much checked vege- 
tation, though, during the month, there was rather more than the 
average fall of rain. June was comparatively dry, very change- 
able as to temperature, but on the average colder than usual. 
The cold weather continued throughout July and the beginning 
of August, and the period was generally sunless and cloudy, 
with an excess of rain in July, which fell very heavily towards 
the end of the month. The crops in consequence were much 
laid, and in some cases were inundated. The remainder of 
August, and September, were much finer, and rather warmer 
than the average, though there was more than the average fall 
of rain, which however was not much distributed, but fell for 
the most part in considerable quantities at a time. 
Thus, the early winter was, upon the whole, warmer and drier 
than usual ; then came intervals of severe frost, snow, and heavy 
gales, followed by several weeks of very warm weather, with a 
good deal of rain. The early spring was very wintry and 
stormy, and growth and spring sowing were alike retarded. 
Later on the temperature was very changeable, being at first 
warmer, afterwards unseasonably cold, and frequently stormy 
and rainy. The rest of the growing, as well as the early 
ripening period, was changeable, though for the most part 
unseasonably cold, cloudy, and sunless, with a great deal of 
rain, and occasionally very heavy falls which much laid 
the crops. The harvest-time, ihough late and including 
some heavy rains, was however upon the whole not unfa- 
vourable for the greater portion of the Midland, Southern, and 
Eastern districts. 
With a wet autumn, a winter alternately very mild and very 
severe, a spring with alternations of extreme heat, cold, frost, 
and wet, and a summer with a good deal of sunless weather, and 
occasional violent storms of wind and rain which laid the crops, 
the conditions were certainly not of a nature to justify the ex- 
pectation of a productive harvest. Yet, both before and after 
the favourable change at harvest time, some writers in the 
' Times ' gave very sanguine views of the crops of the country 
at large. The records in the agricultural papers were, however, 
much less favourable, and the results obtained at Rothamsted 
led us to the conclusion that the general wheat crop would not 
be less than 20 per cent, below an average. Subsequent 
experience showed that this unfavourable estimate was only too 
well founded. 
After the record of the climate of 1866-7 a good wheat crop 
could not be expected. Violent changes from heat to cold — 
