Our Climate and our Wheat-Crops. 
185 
nine months from November to July inclusive. The other three 
seasons of high productiveness, 1857, 1868, and 1870, though 
they gave l(!ss corn than the foregoing, and very much less straw, 
were, nevertheless, seasons of considerably more than average 
produce of corn, and of high quality of grain. These less bulky, 
but high-yielding crops were grown under more variable winter 
conditions as to temperature, but under much higher both spring 
and summer temperatures, especially those of 1868 and 1870 ; 
whilst, with the higher temperature there was, as in the cases 
with lower temperature and more abundant crops, much less 
than the average fall of rain from seed-time to harvest, one or 
two months only showing an excess. 
We now come to the consideration of the seasons selected for 
illustrating the characters of low productiveness, namely, 1816, 
1853, 1860, and 1879. We will first refer to the last three, 
which come within the period of our own observations, and 
then compare the characters of the extraordinarily unpro- 
ductive season of 1879 with those of the also extraordinarily 
unproductive one of 1816. 
1853. — The winter was very unseasonably warm and also 
wet. There had been a great excess of rain in October and 
November, and fully average amounts in December and January, 
causing floods, and much land intended for wheat remained 
unsown. From February to September, inclusive, every month 
was colder than the average, excepting May and June, which 
were about average ; and the deficiency was greater in the 
spring than in the summer. In April there was a great excess 
ol rain ; in May there were heavy snow-falls ; in June there was 
an excess of rain ; in July a very great, and in August some, 
excess; and in September about an average amount. The 
breadth of land under wheat was much reduced, and the crop 
Avas reported to be far inferior, both in quantity per acre and in 
quality, to that of any season for many years past. 
Thus the conditions under which this very inferior crop was 
grown were — that the early winter had been unseasonably wet 
and warm, the land being generally saturated with water, and in 
many cases flooded ; the spring was unseasonably cold, and also 
wet ; and the summer was also upon the whole colder than the 
average, and very wet. 
1860. — From November (which was about average as to 
temperature) to May, inclusive, the months were alternately 
much colder and warmer than the average, May being warmer. 
But June, July, August, and September were all unusually cold 
and sunless for the period ; very much more so than in 1853, 
There had been an excess of rain in October and November, 
but from that time till the end of April only moderate amounts, 
with, however, snow in February, March, and April. There 
