Extract of a Register of the Barometer, Thermometer, and Rain, at Lyndon in Rutland, 1772, by T. Barker, Esq; Communicated by Sir John Pringle, Bart. P. R. S.

XXVII. Extract of a Register of the Barometer, Thermometer, and Rain, at Lyndon in Rutland, 1772, by T. Barker, Esq; Communicated by Sir John Pringle, Bart. P. R. S. Read March 4, 1773. | | Barometer | Thermometer | Rain | |-------|-----------|-------------|------| | | Highest | Lowest | Mean | In the house | Abroad | High | Low | Mean | High | Low | Mean | | Jan. | Morn. | 29.94 | 28.35 | 29.26 | 44 | 31 | 36 | 45 | 10 | 30 | 2.145 | | | Aftern. | | | | 45 | 30½ | 37 | 51 | 25 | 35½ | | Feb. | Morn. | 29.65 | 28.65 | 29.11 | 46 | 29 | 37 | 46 | 13 | 31 | 3.477 | | | Aftern. | | | | 45½ | 30½ | 38 | 52 | 24 | 38½ | | Mar. | Morn. | 29.64 | 28.61 | 29.20 | 47½ | 33 | 41 | 47 | 23 | 34 | 2.346 | | | Aftern. | | | | 49 | 34½ | 42 | 57 | 32 | 43½ | | April | Morn. | 29.90 | 28.97 | 29.50 | 5½ | 37½ | 44½ | 50 | 27 | 39 | 0.882 | | | Aftern. | | | | 5² | 40 | 46 | 57 | 35 | 48 | | May | Morn. | 30.02 | 29.07 | 29.66 | 55 | 45½ | 50½ | 55 | 33½ | 45 | 1.869 | | | Aftern. | | | | 56 | 40 | 52 | 68 | 47 | 55½ | | June | Morn. | 29.99 | 29.07 | 29.66 | 68 | 51½ | 59½ | 66 | 47 | 56 | 3.890 | | | Aftern. | | | | 70 | 53½ | 61 | 81 | 58½ | 68 | | July | Morn. | 29.99 | 28.96 | 29.61 | 65 | 59½ | 62 | 64 | 48½ | 56 | 0.891 | | | Aftern. | | | | 66 | 60½ | 63 | 73 | 62 | 68 | | Aug. | Morn. | 29.91 | 28.95 | 29.51 | 67 | 56½ | 61½ | 61 | 44 | 54½ | 1.678 | | | Aftern. | | | | 68 | 60 | 63 | 76 | 61 | 67½ | | Sept | Morn. | 29.84 | 28.57 | 29.42 | 62½ | 52½ | 58 | 61½ | 40 | 51 | 4.515 | | | Aftern. | | | | 65 | 54 | 59 | 71 | 54½ | 60½ | | Oct. | Morn. | 29.95 | 28.77 | 29.52 | 58 | 51½ | 55 | 57 | 39 | 48 | 3.267 | | | Aftern. | | | | 59 | 52 | 56 | 64½ | 47½ | 57½ | | Nov. | Morn. | 29.93 | 28.50 | 29.26 | 55½ | 41 | 47 | 56 | 31½ | 41 | 2.461 | | | Aftern. | | | | 56 | 42 | 48 | 59 | 39½ | 46½ | | Dec. | Morn. | 30.06 | 28.78 | 29.57 | 48½ | 36 | 42½ | 50 | 24 | 38 | 1.226 | | | Aftern. | | | | 49½ | 36½ | 43 | 51½ | 28½ | 40½ | Total: 28.647 January January began mild, but soon inclined to frost; and about the middle of the month, a severe season set in; much frost, and great snows, which would have been very great indeed, if it had been all lying together; but they were intermixed with thaw, rain, and floods, and continued to the middle of March. This caused a great expense of hay, and, with the very backward spring, and frequent cold weather, even to the middle of May, made few people have any considerable quantity of hay left. There were, however, some intervals of mild weather, and more grass this spring than last. The summer was, in all the south of England, very dry, and burning. There was so little grass about London, that many were forced to fodder their cattle, even in the height of it; but in all the middle of England, the summer was a very fine one; no cold weather, nor in general very hot, but chiefly very fair and fine, and a sufficient quantity of rain came, whenever we wanted it: so great a quantity of hay, so well got, was hardly ever known. The beginning of harvest was also well got in, but the latter part of it, for it was a late one, was, in this country and northward, exceeding bad; and in this wet weather, some wheat suffered, most of the barley, and all the beans and peas. The crop of wheat, where it was well gotten, was tolerable good, the barley yielded worse, white peas were plentiful enough, but ill got, beans and grey peas universally a failing crop, much of the feed being burst in the wet seed-time. This bad latter part of harvest was in September, which was all very wet, as it was also, in a less degree, till the beginning of December, ember, but so warm, that the grass grew till the middle of October as fast as in summer; but the wheat seed-time was bad, which did but indifferently on wet land, though it came up very well on light soils. The season continued mild and open, the grass springing, and scarce a morning that could be called frosty, till December 22, when a calm and moderate frost concluded the year. Wet summers make plenty of grass, but drier seasons are more favourable to corn. The most plentiful ten years in my time were from 1741 to 1750, which were also the driest; and the most failing series of crops have been since that remarkable wet year 1763; since which, there has been, in general, much more rain than before. P. S. Be pleased to correct the following errata, in my former letter, Phil. Trans. Vol. LXI. p. 223. | For | Read | |-----------|----------| | Feb. 10 | E. by W. | E. by N. | | 16 | E. by W. | E. by N. | | Aug. mean 36 to 70 | 2.194. | 2.184. | | Nov. 1737 | 9.570. | 0.570. | XXVIII. Ob-