856 
The Great Drought of 1893. 
of the entire four months is graphically shown in the accompanying 
map, which gives, first, in various degrees of shading, the defi- 
ciency in the amount of rain over England, and secondly, by figures, 
the duration of the drought at certain selected stations. To avoid 
overcrowding the map we have, in cases where two or more droughts 
prevailed, chosen only the longest. The information is therefore 
somewhat less complete than that given in the tables of statistics 
which accompanied the paper. 
In order to obtain some further idea of the abnormal character of 
the weather, a list was prepared giving the duration of all the 
droughts experienced in London since the year 1865. From this 
it appeared that, both in its absolute and in its partial sense, the 
drought of 1893 was considerably longer than any other recorded in 
the course of the past 29 years. The nearest approach to the period 
of 30 rainless days experienced this year was in June 1865, when a 
drought extended to 26 days. Next to this came 1887 with a period 
in June and July extending to 25 days, and March 1880 with a 
drought of 23 days. The partial drought of 114 days recorded this 
year was nearly twice as long as any other in the 29 years, the 
nearest approach to it being 58 days between October and December 
1871. Next to this, but a long way behind it, came April and 
May 1880, and June and July 1887, each with a partial drought of 
41 days, and afterwards June and July 1869, with a period of 40 
days. 
Frederick J. Brodie. 
PUBLICATIONS OF INTEREST TO 
AGRICULTURISTS. 
I. THE IMPROVEMENT OF INDIAN AGRICULTURE . 1 
A. ToTs Tramp avOpditroKTiv Eiprji'Tjs tpiXips 
ttktt T potpis, rapia, auvepyis, iir'iTpoiros, 
Buyaarip a.8e\<p V , -nama Tain' c’xpVto poi. 
B. Sol 8’ vvopa Sij ri Icttiv ; A. 'Oti ; TERPriA. 
Fragment from the lost “ Farmers ” (Teupyol) of Aristophanes. 
The passing year will always be memorable in popular tradition for 
the formal inauguration, during a summer of unprecedented splendour, 
of the Imperial Institute as a centre of research, or, as Bacon would 
have called it, a College of Inquiry, into the whole reproductive 
resources of the United Kingdom, and its Colonies and Dependencies ; 
1 Report on the Improvement of Indian Agriculture. By John Augustus 
Voelcker, Ph.D., B.A., B.Sc., &c., Consulting Chemist to the Royal Agricul- 
tural Society of England. Printed by Messrs. Eyre & Spottiswoode. 1893. 
