408 
The  Weather  of  the  Past  Agricultural  Year. 
and  north-easterly,  with  cold  weather,  and  snow  in  most  districts, 
a sharp  frost  occurring  very  generally  on  the  nights  of  the 
13th  and  14th.  In  the  closing  week  variable  airs  and  fair  dry 
weather  prevailed,  with  severe  frost  between  the  23rd  and  25th, 
when  the  thermometer  fell  below  15“  in  many  parts  of  central 
and  southern  England,  and  reached  7“  at  Wokingham.  The 
sharpest  weather  of  the  whole  season  occurred,  however,  at 
a time  when  winter  should,  in  the  ordinary  way,  have  been 
giving  place  to  spring.  In  the  first  week  in  March  frosts  and 
snowstorms  of  great  intensity  were  experienced  over  the 
country  generally,  the  sheltered  thermometer  sinking  below 
10"  in  many  parts  of  Great  Britain,  and  reaching  zero  at  Marl- 
borough. At  Llangammarch  Wells,  on  the  grass,  a reading  of 
4“  below  zero  was  recorded  both  on  the  4th  and  5th. 
For  the  winter  as  a whole  the  mean  temperature  was  below 
the  average  and  the  rainfall  generally  deficient.  In  the  east 
and  north-east  of  England  only  three-fourths  of  the  normal 
quantity  was  collected,  and  in  the  midland  and  south-western 
counties  less  than  three-fourths.  Considerably  more  than  the 
average  arnoAnt  of  bright  sunshine  was  recorded  in  the  western 
and  southern  districts,  but  in  other  parts  of  the  country  the 
conditions  in  this  respect  were  about  normal. 
The  Spring  op  1909. 
The  wintry  weather  which  set  in  at  the  beginning  of 
March  continued  in  a gradually  modified  degree  until  after  the 
middle  of  the  month,  the  wind  being  generally  from  points 
between  north  and  east,  with  frequent  showers  of  snow  or 
sleet  in  nearly  all  parts  of  the  country.  After  about  the  6th, 
however,  no  very  sharp  frosts  were  experienced  until  the 
nights  of  the  15tli  and  16th,  when  the  thermometer  again  fell 
to  a low  level  for  the  time  of  year.  In  the  screen  the  readings 
recorded  at  this  time  were  below  20“,  the  thermometer  at 
Wokingham  falling  to  8“ ; while  on  the  surface  of  the  grass 
a reading  as  low  as  3“  was  registered  at  Llangammarch  Wells. 
After  about  the  17th  the  wind  got  round  to  the  southward, 
and  for  the  remainder  of  March  the  weather,  though  generally 
cloudy  and  unsettled,  was  fairly  mild.  No  sign  of  genial 
spring  warmth  was,  however,  perceptible  until  the  29th,  and 
then  only  in  the  east  and  south-east  of  England,  where  the 
thermometer  rose  slightly  above  60“. 
Early  in  April  a large  anticyclone,  or  area  of  high 
barometrical  pressure,  extended  over  the  United  Kingdom 
from  the  Continent,  and  for  some  eight  or  nine  days  brilliantly 
fine  weather  prevailed  very  generally,  the  week  ending  the 
10th  being  one  of  the  sunniest  on  record.  At  many  places  in 
the  east  and  south-east  of  England  the  sun  shone  for  more 
