38(5  The  Weather  during  the  Agricultural  Year,  1903-1904. 
daily  amount  for  the  whole  season  was  nearly  one  hour 
less  than  usual,  while  in  the  south-western  district  the  daily 
deficiency  was  more  than  one  hour.  The  rainfall  of  the  spring 
agreed  very  closely  with  the  average  in  all  the  more  western 
parts  of  the  country,  but  was  deficient  elsewhere.  The  driest 
district,  both  actually  and  relatively,  was  the  eastern,  where 
the  total  rainfall  was  20  per  cent,  less  than  the  normal,  and 
smaller  than  in  any  recent  spring  with  the  exception  of  that 
of  1900. 
The  Summer  op  1904. 
The  tendency  in  favour  of  fair,  dry  weather  displayed  in  the 
spring  months,  and  especially  in  the  latter  part  of  the  season, 
became  more  marked  during  the  progress  of  the  summer. 
Until  the  concluding  half  of  August  the  rainfall  was  almost 
constantly  below  the  average,  the  only  striking  exception 
occurring  in  the  last  week  of  July,  when  a large  amount  was 
experienced  in  all  parts  of  the  country.  In  June  the  weather 
was  as  a rule  rather  cloudy,  and  temperature  slightly  below  the 
average,  but  with  the  opening  of  July  a period  of  hot,  forcing 
sunshine  set  in,  the  second  week  being  especially  fine  and 
warm.  The  warmth  lasted,  with  little  intermission,  until  the 
first  week  in  August,  when  a change  set  in,  the  weather  for  the 
remainder  of  the  summer  being  mostly  cool  and  unsettled. 
Throughout  the  greater  part  of  the  summer  the  air  appears  to 
have  been  in  a highly  electrical  condition,  and  thunderstorms 
were  consequently  frequent  ; while  on  the  afternoon  of  July  3 
an  earthquake  was  experienced  over  the  northern  and  central 
parts  of  England  and  Wales. 
Early  in  June  the  weather  was  influenced  by  a large  anti- 
cyclone, which  spread  over  Western  Europe  from  the  southward, 
the  wind  being  at  first  north-westerly,  but  afterwards  north- 
easterly. In  the  west  and  north  of  England  a considerable 
amount  of  bright  sunshine  was  registered,  but  in  the  south  and 
east  the  wea  her  was  generally  cloudy,  with  thunderstorms 
on  the  Gth.  After  the  end  of  the  first  week  the  anticyclone 
drifted  away  to  the  north-eastward,  while  an  area  of 
disturbed  weather  extended  over  Ireland  and  England, 
thunderstorms  being  experienced  at  many  isolated  places  in 
the  west  and  south  between  the  7th  and  13th.  Later  on  a 
decided  improvement  occurred,  the  general  conditions  being, 
however,  still  rather  changeable,  with  thunder  on  the  south 
and  south-east  coasts  of  England  on  the  17th.  On  the  24th  and 
25th  a cyclonic  disturbance  moved  eastwards  directly  across 
the  country,  its  i)rogress  being  attended  by  heavy  rain, 
especially  in  the  counties  of  Berwick  and  Northumberland, 
where  the  fall  on  the  24th  amounted  to  between  1 in.  and 
1^  in.  Thunderstorms  were  experienced  on  the  same  day  in 
