NOTES----ORIGINAL AND SELECTED. 415
Mr. Grubb had commented on the extreme dryness of the cereal year
that ended with September, 1898. "At that time," he writes, "it seemed
likely that 1898 would be a record year in East Anglia for lightness of rain-
fall, but the past three months having given us over six inches of rain, the
total comes out nearly 171/2 inches, or about an inch in excess of the record
year (1874). The mean temperature of the year, 50.10, is in excess of both
1896 and 1897, but this excess has accrued entirely during the autumn and
winter months, January, September, October, and December, all showing a
mean much about the average.
"The temperature of the three spring months was below the average,
as also two of the summer months, June and July, August alone reaching
the mean. March was the coldest month in the year, sharing this distinction
with the years 1883 and 1886. The season as a whole may be put down as
a productive one, from an all-round point of view, the abundance of hay and
straw making amends for considerable deficiency in the root crops, while the
extreme mildness of the last quarter atoned to a large extent for the absence
of autumn grass at the time when we usually expect to get it.
"As regards the water supply in country districts, this is not yet by any
means fully replenished, and, unless we are to have a repetition in 1899 of the
late water famine, it is to be hoped that the rainfall during the next two
months may be fairly ample."
Ramsey, near Harwich.—Mrs. K. Hempson, Hill House, Ramsey (about
31/2 miles west from Harwich) writes: —" As our register in this parish differs
considerably from others in the County, it may interest your readers to have
a summary of it. Probably our situation (11/2 miles from the river Stour and
3 miles from the sea) may account for this: On only one day in the year did
we register an inch,and it is a curious coincidence that for three consecutive
years we have registered upwards of an inch on three consecutive
days—viz.: June 10th, 1896, 1.00 ; June 8th, 1897, 1.06 ; June 9th, 1898, 1.07.
Danbury.—The Rev. J. Bridges Plumptre, Rector of Danbury, sends a
summary of his register of rainfall kept during the year 1898. He remarks :
"We fancied that the year 1897 was a dry one, but 1898 has considerably
surpassed its predecessor in this respect. Here in Danbury in 1897 there fell
21.97 inches rain, with 176 days on which rain fell, but in 1898 the total rain-
fall does not exceed 15.95 inches, with 136 days on which rain fell. Again in