OUR CLIMATE CHARACTERIZED. 
287 
If it were demanded of us to state the general 
nature and qualities of the climate of South Devon, 
we should say it was characterized by equality of 
temperature and humidity of atmosphere. Our sum¬ 
mers are short, often fervent and attended with 
long droughts; our autumns are usually rainy ; 
our winters stormy, and sometimes very cold and 
lengthened; our springs chilly, unsettled, deceptive, 
and on the whole characterized by frequent inter¬ 
vals of gentle warmth of short continuance between 
the long-continued rains, the protracted blasts and 
blighting winds ordinarily prevalent. Vegetation 
having made several unavailing efforts in these in¬ 
tervals, and having received frequent checks and 
blights, is at length permitted to put forth its ener¬ 
gies in May. Occasionally this month is with us 
unusually dry and fine, so as to be productive of 
calamitous consequences both as regards the feed¬ 
ing of cattle, and the crops of grass and corn ; for 
at this period vegetation makes its greatest efforts 
and requires a supply of moisture to proceed with, 
in defect of which the harvests are rendered late 
and scanty, and cabbages and other garden produce 
are greatly injured. All this happened to us in 183(>. 
Occasionally also, (and such was our lot in 1837) May 
is uncommonly unpropitious, and vegetation makes 
no decided advances till June. On 24th March, 1837, 
snow fell, and lay three or four inches deep, and ice 
formed in the estuary of the Yealm half an inch in 
thickness. On the 2nd April, snow again fell; on 
the 11th and 22nd, fresh deposits took place, and 
in some spots remained two weeks. There were no 
leaves on the trees till after the first week in May ! 
In the end of March, frosts even entered our hot¬ 
houses and destroyed the young grapes. 
According to my remarks, the arrival of spring 
birds of passage is deferred in accordance with the 
weather experienced in that season. They arrived 
