The Mummer of 1894 . 
575 
would even yet lend its aid in the production of a harvest of 
abnormal excellence. Such expectations as these were, however, 
soon falsified, for after ten days or so of genial sunshine the 
atmosphere again fell into as unsettled a state as ever, the tendency 
for the remainder of the season being for the conditions to become 
more and more inclement. July was certainly worse than June, 
while August proved quite as rainy and decidedly cooler than either 
of the two preceding months. The general result of so much bad 
weather was to materially diminish the high expectations which 
prevailed early in the season. The beneficial effects of the winter 
and early spring months were, however, not entirely effaced ; and 
although the reports from the country were far from unanimous, 
their general tenor seemed to encourage the belief that, in spite of 
so adverse a summer, the harvest of 1894 would be quite equal, if 
not superior, to the average of recent years. 
The leading features in the weather of the past summer are 
shown in the table on p. 577 which gives for various parts of England 
and Wales a summary of the conditions relating to the temperature, 
the rainfall, and the bright sunshine of the entire season. 
Temperature . — -The mean temperature was above the average 
during the last w r eek in June and the first week in July, and equal 
to the normal during the closing days of July and August. At 
nearly all other times the weekly values were below the average, the 
deficit being usually slight, but rather considerable in the third 
week of August. Taking the summer as a whole, the mean tempera- 
ture was decidedly low, the difference from the average ranging from 
about half a degree in the north-eastern, midland, and north-western 
counties and the Channel Islands to very nearly a whole degree in 
the remaining English districts. From an examination of the maxi- 
mum and minimum temperatures, taken separately, we see that the 
absence of warmth was confined almost exclusively to the daytime, 
the night readings being in many districts either equal to or slightly 
above the normal. The day temperatures showed, on the other hand, 
a marked deficiency, ranging from about half a degree in the north- 
eastern counties to a degree and a half in the north-western counties, 
and to about a degree and three-quarters in the eastern and 
southern districts. The coolness of the past summer was, as a 
matter of fact, due to the abnormal prevalence of dull weather, the 
effect of which was shown in two ways. In the first place, the 
absence of bright sunshine prevented the thermometer from 
rising to its normal height in the daytime ; while, in the second 
place, the undue prevalence of cloud hindered the progress of 
terrestrial radiation, and thus kept the nights fairly warm. The 
highest day temperatures recorded during the summer were observed 
at the close of J une or the beginning of July, when the thermometer 
rose to 85° and upwards in most of the English districts, and to 87° in 
the eastern and south-western counties. Over the country generally 
the thermometer at no other time reached 80°, and during the 
greater part of the season the maximum readings were seldom as 
