42 
E. MAWLEY—PIIENOLOGICAL PHENOMENA 
The distribution of the rainfall was equally variable. For instance, 
the last three weeks in December, and the closing week in 
February, were extremely wet, while no rain worth mentioning 
fell during the intervening period of over seven weeks. The 
record of sunshine at Berkhamsted fell short of the average by 
about five minutes a day. 
All fears that the young wheat would become dangerously 
forward owing to the mild weather in January were set at rest 
by the timely arrival of the long February frost. Although there 
was no snow to protect any of the farm crops, little, if any, damage 
appears to have been done by this frost—an exceptionally prolonged 
one for so late in the season. This was no doubt in a great 
measure owing to the unusually dry state of the soil and subsoil. 
Indeed, throughout the whole of the time the frost lasted, no 
measurable quantity of rain-water came through either of my 
percolation-gauges, which are a yard square and contain 2£ feet 
of soil. The pastures were well furnished with herbage during 
December and January, which was a great advantage to the 
farmers, as there remained but a small supply of winter forage for 
the sheep and cattle, owing to the failure of the hay and turnip 
crops in the previous year. After December all seasonable tillage 
operations were carried out with but few interruptions, and were 
consequently at the end of the season as forward as could be wished. 
This was on the whole a favourable Winter for all garden 
produce. The mild weather in the early part of it favoured the 
rather scanty supply of green vegetables left by the previous dry 
Summer and Autumn ; while the February frost gave a wholesome 
check to the pushing buds of the fruit-trees, and to vegetation 
generally. 
The winter aconite came into flower at Berkhamsted on the 
14th of January, or a week earlier than its average date in the 
previous thirteen years, and earlier than in any year since 1898. 
On the 20th the same plant was noted as first in flower at St. Albans. 
Taking the county as a whole, the first fertile flowers appeared 
on the hazel three days later than their average date in the previous 
twenty-five years. The song-thrush was first heard after the 
beginning of the year eleven days in advance of its mean date ; 
while the honey-bee was first seen to visit flowers one day behind 
its usual time. 
The Spring. 
The weather became colder as the season advanced, March 
being very warm, April of about average temperature, and May 
exceptionally cold—indeed, the coldest May of which I have at 
Berkhamsted any record. On one night in the middle of that 
month the thermometer exposed on the lawn indicated 9 degrees 
of frost, which is an unusually low reading for so late in Ihe Spring. 
The fall of rain was below the mean quantity, but only in April 
was the deficiency very marked. The sun shone on an average 
for about half an hour a day less than is usual during the quarter. 
