OBSERVED IN HERTFORDSHIRE IN 1903 . 
91 
so frequent were the interruptions through wet weather. Notwith¬ 
standing the many adverse conditions of the season, the appearance 
of the crops at its close was, as a rule, satisfactory, and more 
particularly that portion of the corn which had been sown in the 
Autumn and during the favourable weather in February. 
The prospects for the hay were greatly improved by the heavy 
rains at the end of April and beginning of May, and by the ten 
daj’s of genial weather at the close of the latter month. In the 
same way the pastures were also benefited. 
The sowing period in the garden was likewise unsatisfactory, 
owing to the changeable character of the weather, and the cold 
and saturated state of the soil throughout the greater part of it. 
The fruit-blossom suffered greatly during the cold spell in April. 
In fact, in most places nearly the whole of the abundant bloom 
was destroyed h}^ the persistent frosts and cold winds. A few 
particulars respecting the weather prevailing at that time may 
therefore he of interest. On each of the fourteen nights the cold 
spell in question lasted the exposed thermometer at Berkhamsted 
registered 3 or more degrees of frost, and on five consecutive nights 
from 10 to 13 degrees of frost. The great damage done to the 
fruit-blossom by these April frosts was no doubt due to the fact 
that at the time they occurred vegetation generally was in an 
exceptionally forward condition, and that the cold spell was im¬ 
mediately preceded by a long term of warm and wet weather. 
On the other hand, both the ground and the atmosphere were 
unusually dry when the keenest frosts took place, or the injuries 
done to plants, other than fruit-trees, might have been much more 
serious than they were. 
Mrs. Bishop, writing from Watford on April 8th, mentions the 
magnificent show of blossom at that time on the cherry-trees. 
This was, of course, before the April frosts. To show the severity 
of these frosts, our observer at Hatfield states that “a number of 
plants, amongst them the elder, hawthorn, dog’s mercury, and the 
common nettle, had their foliage blackened by them.” Mr. Willis 
mentions the scanty blossom on the apple-trees, blackthorns, and 
plums at Harpenden. 
It will he noticed that the records for the spring-flowering plants 
on the list are for some reason irregular. The coltsfoot was one 
day early, the wood-anemone one day late, the blackthorn eleven 
days early, the garlic hedge-mustard thirteen days early, the horse- 
chestnut seven days late, the hawthorn five days early, and the 
white ox-eye six days late. 
As had been the case in the four previous years, the spring 
migrants arrived behind their average dates. The swallow was 
eleven days late, the cuckoo thirteen days late, the nightingale 
fourteen days late, and the flycatcher four days late. 
The wasp made its appearance five days late, the small white 
butterfly eleven days late, and the orange-tip butterfly fifteen 
days late. 
