THE WEATHER DURING THE 
AGRICULTURAL YEAR, 1905-1906. 
The weather of the agricultural year 1905-1906 was, upon 
the whole, of an unusually favourable character. 
The autumn of 1905 was cool, but it had the merit of 
being very dry, so that early sowing was conducted under the 
most advantageous circumstances, and farm and field work of 
all kinds proceeded with scarcely any serious interruption. 
The succeeding winter was changeable, but the excess of rain 
was nowhere very great, and the brief spells of sharp frost 
which occurred from time to time served to check the pro- 
gress of growth, which would otherwise have been dangerously 
rapid. The spring was mostly cool but fairly dry, and although 
the frosts in the latter part of the season played much havoc 
with the fruit blossoms and with some of the low-lying crops, 
the weather gave, in other respects, little cause for complaint. 
The summer was characterised by an abundance of fine dry 
weather, interspersed at times, however, with heavy thunder 
rains, and in some localities with wind and hailstorms of quite 
a torrential character. In spite of these drawbacks the season 
was, upon the whole, a good one, and in most parts of the 
country a bountiful harvest was gathered under the most 
favourable conditions. The autumn record of 1906 was also 
meteorologically a success, so that the agricultural season of 
1906-1907 started, like its predecessor, with good omens for 
the future. 
The Winter of 1905-1906. 
The winter of 1905-1906 was for the most part mild, but 
very changeable, the frequent veering and backing of the 
wind between south-west and north-west being accompanied 
by large fluctuations in temperature. A drought of unusual 
duration for the time of year occurred in the middle portion 
of December, but this was succeeded by heavy rains in the 
earlier half of January, the precipitation of February being 
of a more variable nature. The sharpest frosts occurred, as 
in so many recent winters, towards the end of the season, 
but were less severe than in many previous years. 
December opened with a spell of south-westerly winds 
(strong to a gale in force between the 5th and 8th), the 
weather being dry and fairly mild, with, however, slight 
frost in many localities on the 3rd and 4th. After the 9th 
the wind became light, but remained in the west, so that the 
temperature was still above its average level, excepting in 
the midland and southern districts, where sharp night frosts 
occurred between the 10th and 13th with a good deal of fog. 
