Hi all,
 and here is the image when I apply my edits; as you can see, the
dates
 go from slightly diagonal, which I like, to horizontal with jumbling
 
 
https://www.dropbox.com/s/l3qr4o3fg1w056s/Forum%20Q2.png?dl=0
  
Actually, I have also experienced such behavior recently with latest 
gretl (git version) and gnuplot 5.4.3. Currently, I can't remember when 
exactly this does happen but if I find that case, I'll report it here.
Artur