204 NOTES—ORIGINAL AND SELECTED.
Fingringhoe.—Mr. Thomas B. Grubb very kindly communicates the
following interesting summary of the weather at his farm, four miles S.E. of
Colchester (see Essex Naturalist, vol. x., p. 238 and p. 414 for records in
1897 and 1898):— 
The year came with mild open weather, January gave us nearly an
average rainfall but the land never got really wet, and tillage operations were
but little hindered.
Grass lands were quite green at the close of the month. The downfall
in February was less, and the weather somewhat colder. Barley and oats
were sown towards the close of this month on light land. March proved a
dry month and remarkably cold, the thermometer falling well below the
freezing point in the screen, on 19 nights ; while boys were sliding on our
ponds and ditches on Lady-Day (25th inst.). April was somewhat ungenial,
with a rainfall about equal to the mean in this district, while in May the fall
was less, with temperature still low for the season, and but little sunshine, so
that the close of this month found vegetation somewhat backward, the
mangold plant in particular being very slow in coming to the hoe. June
brought a great change, with fine sunshine and heat the first 18 days, and all
crops made rapid progress ; but spring corn was wanting the rain badly, when
it came on the 19th and 20th. The remainder of this month and the first four
days of July were unsettled and showery.
The total rainfall for June was only about half the average, and scarcely
sufficient for crops on the lighter soils. The hay crop was barely an average
one, and was somewhat hindered in the carting up to July 4th, but all secured
after that date could be stacked in prime condition. July proved hot and dry
after the 4th, and but for the heavy thunder rain on 23rd the feed and root
crops would have been severely punished, as they were in many other parts of
the kingdom, where the rain on that date was of only trifling amount.
The writer began harvest on July 25th, somewhat in advance of many,
but had no reason to regret having been so forward, as the crops ripened
remarkably quickly, and a good deal of loss of grain by shelling occurred in
those fields that were left too long. August was a grand harvest month,
almost rainless, with the exception of a thunder shower on 15th, and a little
further fall at its close. Drought continued through September, the first rain
of sufficient volume to make the ploughing of grass and clover lands practi-
able, falling on the afternoon and night of the 29th. The bulk of the rain in
October fell near its close, the 27th and night following giving considerably
more than half of the total quantity registered. The first week in November
was very wet, so wet as to make mangold carting almost impossible for a time,
but as there was no frost this month, and as weather after the 10th inst. came
dry, the delay hereby occasioned had no serious consequences. The mangold
crop proved a heavy one, and the turnips and kohl-rabi improved very much
after the Michaelmas rain, so that what looked in September like a light
deficient root crop, proved by the middle of November to be a fairly abundant
one.
December was mild till the 7th when a sudden fall of temperature took
place, and sharp frost prevailed till the 17th, the remainder of the month being
characterised by changeable weather, with alternate frosts and thaws. Below
will be found details of rainfall and temperature, taken daily :—