46 
E. MAWLEY-PHENOLOGICAL PHENOMENA 
proved extremely light. In all three months the record of sunshine 
at Berkhamsted was deficient, the deficiency for the whole season 
averaging nearly an hour a day. In August the sun shone on an 
average for only 41- hours a day. 
Scarcely any progress was made by the corn and other farm 
crops until after the end of the cold and wet period in June, when 
a return to unusually warm weather took place. The effect upon 
the landscape of this change to more genial conditions, which set 
in at the end of the third week in June, was almost magical. The 
rapid growth was not only brought about by the warmer atmosphere 
both during the daytime and at night, but also by the rising 
temperature of the soil itself, which was moreover at that period 
in a singularly moist condition for the time of year. The crop most 
favoured by this spell of warm weather, which lasted about three 
weeks, was the bay-crop. The yield proved exceptionally heavy, 
and as very little rain fell during July it was harvested at little 
expense, and in excellent condition. The roots and pastures were 
also greatly benefited by the change, and the cereals advanced 
rapidly and were in every way improved. Had this type of 
weather persisted sufficiently long, the corn harvest would have 
been, after all, unusually early, instead of being one of the latest 
and most prolonged for many years. Unfortunately, at the end 
of the three warm weeks in question came a period of cold, dull, 
and rainy weather, which continued until the end of the season, so 
that the corn ripened slowly, and when cut was gathered in under 
the most trying conditions possible, owing to the frequent and 
heavy rains. The yield of all the corn-crops was good, but owing 
to the long period of wet weather in August much of it remained 
in shock in the fields, and a good deal of the grain became stained 
and sprouted. The roots and pastures were, on the other hand, as 
is usual under such conditions, benefited by the lower temperatures 
and frequent rainfall. There was also another crop which appeared 
to delight in the cool and moist weather, and that was the crop 
of weeds, which have seldom been so troublesome. 
This Summer was not nearly so favourable to the horticulturist 
as to the farmer. In the first place the cold weather in June was 
so keenly felt that many plants did not completely recover from its 
chilling effects during the rest of the season. Then came a drought 
which maybe said to have lasted from the middle of June until 
the end of July, so scanty was the rainfall during those seven 
weeks. In fact, previous to the 6th of August no rain-water at 
all had come through my bare soil percolation-gauge for five weeks. 
The wet, cold, and gloomy weather which followed, while favouring 
the growth of weeds, was very unfavourable to garden-produce’ 
generally, and more particularly to that in the flower-garden. 
The appearance and rapid spread of the potato disease in August 
was also another result of the low temperature and humid condition 
of the ground and atmosphere. On the other hand, for the first 
Summer for some years, the Hertfordshire lawns remained green 
throughout the whole season. 
