WINTER 1879-80 UPON TKEES AND SHKUBS. 79 



after having withstood with impunity the winter of 1878-79. 

 Many plants of la.T^e dimensions of the common holly have lost 

 all their foliage. Many limbs of the common Portugal laurel 

 are dying off, Privet is much injured, and young shoots killed. 

 Quercus ilex has lost its foliage, llohinia 2^seitcl- acacia has had 

 all its young shoots killed outright. Ceclrus cleodara is looking 

 very sickly and is shedding its leaves, while Pinus 2^inchviv is 

 entirely destitute of foliage ; but other conifers in this district 

 do not appear to have suffered so severely. Those from Japan 

 have proved p>articularly hardy. "Walnuts, and other hard 

 wooded trees of various species of old growth, have lost a 

 number of their younger twigs, and an unusual number of dead 

 points all over the trees have become more apparent every day, 

 since the foliation in spring of the various varieties. 



In Drummond Castle gardens, common Portugal laurels are 

 severely injured. Several standard specimens have lost ail the 

 previous year's growth, and singularly the Aucvha jaiwnicaj 

 which formed a closely grown carpet underneath them is quite 

 safe. This is the only recorded instance of this shrub having 

 escaped untouched. In other places, even with the shelter of 

 shrubs overhead, it has been killed outright. 



In the mild and genial climate of the west, at Maybole, Ayr- 

 shire, Mr. Murray reports from Culzean Castle that the damage 

 has been greater than that of any winter since 1860-61. Old 

 and well-established fuschias and hydrangeas, which usually 

 prove quite hardy in the open border, have been killed outright, 

 Euonymus, Tamctrix, Phormmm teiutx, Cornelia, myrtles, Lonicera 

 aicrect 'varierjata. are very severely damaged. Lauristinus, sweet 

 bay, Veronica, and Caniellict jcqjonica, were for a time lookinf^ 

 very sickly and brown in a well-sheltered situation, but appear 

 now to be recoverin^r slowlv, and mav be considered safe. The 

 lowest readinc? here was on 4th December, 22° of frost. 



But we need not multiply evidences of the extreme ravages 

 amongst all descriptions of trees and shrubs throughout the 

 country. Similar reports to those already detailed have been 

 furnished, all telling the same dismal tale of loss and disfigur- 

 ment to favourite specimens, and closely tended recently intro- 

 duced varieties, as well as to old and gnarled forest trees, — from 

 Moncriefl'e House, Perthshire; Hamilton Palace, Lanarkshire; 

 Carlowrie, Linlithgowshire; Craigiehall, Midlothian; Drumlan- 

 rig, J)umfriesshire; Haddo House, Aberdeen; Glamis Castle 

 and Cortachy Castle, Forfarshire, and from various other 

 localities. 



The only county from which the accounts of the winter's 

 severity an; more cheering is iUUe, which apj^ears to enjoy a 

 specially salubrious and mild climatt", differing considerably from 

 the west of Scotland, in its suitability for the growth of trees 



