METEOROLOGY ; IMPORTATIONS OF GRAIN ; SALES OF 
BRITISH WHEAT ; PRICES OF CORN AND OTHER 
PRODUCE; AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS; AND STA- 
TISTICS OF DAIRY PRODUCE. 
[The facts are derived chiefly from the Meteorological Beiiorts of Mr, 
Glaisiier, and the Returns of the Board of Trade and of the iNSPECTon- 
Gexeral of Imports and Exports.] 
METEOROLOGY.— 1879. 
First Quarter (January, February, March). — The leadings of the 
barometer showed an average slight excess in January and March, 
whereas they ruled considerably below the average in February, 
indeed it was the wettest February back to 1815, with the excep- 
tion of 1866: the month was ver}- destructive to vegetation; the 
mean reading of the quarter v^^as 29'67. The short period of warm 
weather, which set in on 26th December, ended on 2nd January, 
when a cold period set in and lasted till 4th February ; after 
10 days of comparatively warm w^eather, low temperature pre- 
vailed again from 17th February till 3rd March. From 4th to 
20th March the temperature was generally above the average ; 
from 21st to 28th it was severely cold, and the last few days of the 
quarter were warm. 
The mean temperature of the quarter was 37°'l, and was 2°"8 
below the average for the corresponding period in 38 years ; the 
mean showed a deficiency of 6°"8 in January, of 1°*2 in February, 
and of 0'-4 in March. 
The fall of rain, at Greenwich, for the quarter was 7-0 inches, 
and was 2-0 inches above the average amount in the corresponding 
quarter in 64 years ; 2-6 inches fell in January, 3*8 in February, 
and 0*6 of an inch in March. 
The number of houis of bright sunshine measured during the 
quarter at Greenwich Observatory' was 137'5, against 141-0 in the 
con-esponding period of last year. The month of January was 
unusually sunless, only 14'8 hours of bright sunshine being 
recorded. 
Second Quarter (April, May, June). — The readings of the baro- 
meter showed a slight excess during May, but were considerably 
VOL. XVI. — S. S. A 
