56 
E. MAWLEY-PHENOLOGICAL PHENOMENA 
autumn-sown wheat, which otherwise might have become what is 
termed “ winter proud.” Favoured by the generally mild weather, 
and the covering of snow when the frosts were keenest, the grass 
remained green throughout the season. The fall of snow in 
February, which for a fortnight lay to the depth of from three 
inches to a foot, must have afforded all the winter farm-crops very 
efficient protection during that time; for at Berkhamsted I find 
that on the three coldest nights the temperature beneath the snow 
was from 19 to 21 degrees higher than on its upper surface, while 
at no time did the buried thermometer show more than 8 degrees 
of frost. 
The early part of the season was so mild that some garden 
flowers remained in bloom rather later in the year than usual. 
At Berkhamsted the last rose-bloom of the year in my garden was 
destroyed by frost on December 14th, which is five days later than 
the average date for the last rose in the previous fourteen years. 
The winter aconite was in flower at Berkhamsted on January 23rd, 
and at Watford (The Platts) on the following day—the former 
date being one day later than the average for the same spot in 
the previous eleven years. At Hitchin the heavy snowstorm 
which occurred on the night of February 1st did considerable 
damage to shrubs in that neighbourhood. On the* 24th of February 
rooks began building at Harpenden. 
The first fertile flowers appeared on the hazel eleven days later 
than their average date for the previous twenty-four years, and 
later than in any year since 1895. 
The song-thrush was first heard after the beginning of the year 
five days later than its mean date. The honey-bee was first seen 
to visit flowers twenty-five days behind its usual time. 
The Spuing. 
This was the coldest spring since 1891, and only once before 
(1893) in the previous, forty-four years have the same three months 
proved as dry. Although taken as a whole a cold spring, at no 
time did the thermometer exposed on the lawn show more than 
15 degrees of frost, which is a high extreme minimum temperature 
for the season. The average daily duration of bright sunshine at 
Berkhamsted amounted to 4f- hours a day, or rather less than is 
seasonable. 
The land had become so saturated through the winter rains, that, 
although the early part of March proved dry, it was not until after 
the middle of that month that the sowing of spring corn could he 
proceeded with, and even then there were frequent interruptions 
owing to repeated light falls of rain, snow, and sleet. At the end 
of the season the autumn-sown corn presented a very promising 
appearance. The grass, on the contrary, made but slow progress, 
as there was comparatively little sunshine to warm the ground, and 
but a scanty supply of rain to moisten it. In order to give some 
idea of the unusual dryness of this spring I may state that 
during the whole of May no rain-water whatever came through 
