388  The  Weather  driving  the  Agricultural  Year,  ] 903-1 004. 
and  upwards  in  many  places.  This  bui-st  of  heat  proved, 
however,  quite  as  transient  as  that  experienced  at  the  com- 
mencement of  the  month,  and  on  the  31st  heavy  rain  was 
aj^ain  reported  in  the  east  and  south-east,  the  amount  being 
as  large  as  1'9  in.  at  Tealby  and  1‘5  in.  at  Rauceby. 
The  mean  temperature  of  the  whole  summer  differed  but 
little  from  the  average,  the  night  readings  being,  however,  as  a 
rule  a trifle  below  the  normal.  Rain  was  less  frequent  than 
usual,  and  the  aggregate  amount  was  short  of  the  average  in 
all  blit  the  south-western  districts,  where  the  fall  was  about 
normal.  In  the  east  and  south  of  England  the  summer  rains 
did  not  amount  to  more  than  81  per  cent,  of  the  average. 
Bright  sunshine  was  unusually  prevalent,  especially  in  the 
south  and  in  the  north-west  ; in  each  of  these  districts  the 
mean  daily  duration  for  the  whole  season  exceeded  the  avei-age 
by  more  than  one  hoiir.  In  many  parts  of  the  country  the 
summer  proved  one  of  the  sunniest  of  recent  years,  but  in 
some  districts  it  was  less  bright  than  in  1899. 
The  Autumn  of  1904. 
A spell  of  rather  changeable  weather  in  the  earlier  half  of 
September  was  followed  by  a decided  improvement,  the  latter 
half  of  the  month  and  the  first  fortnight  in  October  being 
mostly  fine  and  drj’,  though  rather  cool.  The  concluding  ])art 
of  October  was  less  fair,  rainfall  being  still  deficient,  but  the 
sky  more  cloudy,  with  a good  deal  of  fog  between  the  19th  and 
21st.  In  November  the  weather  became  very  changeable, 
while  towards  the  middle  of  the  month,  when  the  conditions 
were  quieter,  a good  deal  of  wet  fog  was  experienced.  In  the 
third  week  an  exceedingly  cold  air  spread  over  the  country 
from  the  northward,  severe  frost  becoming  general,  with  snow 
in  all  districts,  the  latter  being  verj"  heavj'  in  the  north.  Later 
on,  when  the  north  wind  died  away,  fog  reappeared  over  a 
large  portion  of  the  country,  the  tendency  for  this  element 
being  greater  than  in  most  recent  years. 
The  first  few  days  of  September  proved  somewhat  unevent- 
ful, but  on  the  6th  and  7th  of  the  month  thunderstorms 
occurred  in  many  parts  of  England,  with  heavy  rain  in  the 
west.  Towards  the  middle  of  the  month  a spell  of  dry  easterly 
winds  set  in,  with  fairly  high  day  temperatures,  but  with  cool 
nights,  ground  frost  being  experienced  on  the  niglits  of  the 
19th  and  20th  in  many  parts  of  the  northern  and  eastern 
counties.  In  the  closing  week  the  conditions  became  rather 
less  settled,  thunderstorms  being  experienced  in  many  isolated 
parts  of  the  country,  and  heavy  i-ain  at  places  in  the  west  and 
south-west  on  the  30th.  Thick  fogs  were  also  experienced 
about  this  time  over  the  iidand  districts. 
