VII. Abstract of a register of the barometer, thermometer, and rain, at Lyndon, in Rutland, for the year 1796

Abstract

The year began with a remarkably open winter, sometimes quite warm and pleasant, and several times thunder. It was showery at first, then dry and fine; but the end of January and beginning of February were wet, yet still open and mild, and more dry afterward; but colder, and inclined to frost, the end of February, and in March, the middle of which was again mild and fine, and not windy, but frosty toward the end. The last days of March, and beginning of April, were dry and pleasant; a good seed time, and calm; but rain was wanted toward the end, which came plentifully the end of April, and beginning of May. The season in general cool, and the latter half more dry; too much so in the south of England, for grass and hay were scarce there; but, in this country, both grass and corn came on well, and continued to do so all June, which was of a moderate heat, with a mixture of wet and dry; frequent but moderate winds, and calm at the end. There was plenty of hay this year; but, through a very wet and windy July, a good deal of it was not well got. The crops of grain were almost all good, and the moist July made the beans and pease remarkably so. The harvest, though threatening at first, was in general very well got; the weather being chiefly fair, and rather hot, with some rain at times, kept the grass in a growing state, of which there was plenty left upon the ground against winter. The autumn was in general very fine and pleasant; for the most part fair, with few frosty mornings, till near the end of November; when a severer season began, and continued very hard frost the first third of December; then an imperfect break for some days, but not so as to take the frost all away. It returned again as hard as before, and continued another third of the month, till the two last days; when a thaw came on, with very warm and remarkably wet air, though no great quantity of rain fell. It was agreed every where, that December 24, at night, was much the coldest time this winter; in some places the thermometer was down below o, at 4 or 8; but I did not happen to look at it just at that time, so that I never saw it so low as 14.