Page:Cornwall (Salmon).djvu/20

 CORNWALL we have a mean summer temperature of about 62°, and a mean winter temperature of about 45°; from which St. Ives differs very little except in the more bracing character of its air. The local saying that Cornwall has a shower of rain for every day of the week and two for Sunday does not altogether belie the climate, which is decidedly humid ; but the rainfall varies much, from a high average on the moors to a much lower average near the Lizard (62 in. annually at Alternon, 37 in. at Helston). By reason of its coast scenery, Cornwall can claim to be one of the most beautiful counties of England, though for inland loveliness and variety it must yield to Devonshire, to the Lake Country, to Yorkshire, and the Wye district. The charm of its coast is certainly unsurpassed, if not unrivalled. Probably the very finest stretch of coast scenery in England is that lying between Newquay and Boscastle. But Corn- wall is not all coast ; it has moors as wild as Dartmoor, rivers that rival the Dart, and rich luxuriant valleys like that of Luxulyan. It has been stated by Devonians, in the ironical manner of near neighbours, that Cornwall does not grow wood enough to make a coffin. It is true that there is a great scarcity of trees where the granite appears on the surface, as also in the narrower parts of Cornwall, which are continually swept by sea-breezes. But in the sheltered valley districts there is no lack of woodland. A glance at a geologically coloured map of