■VVINTKi; OF 1878-79 OX TRKES AND SllKUliS. 187 



of tliG severe winter on vej,'etiitioii ^eneriilly, due, i)rol)al)ly, in 

 part to the varied doptlis of snow-fall on the smaller sul)jects, 

 (;oupled with the unvarying' ])ersistenry of the frost, and the 

 varied exposure to sun-heat. In several situations, ])lants, 

 which arborists would liave expected to escape uninjured, have 

 been cut (U)wu to the ground or killed altooether ; wliile others, 

 which are ^fenerally classed as half-hardy in the clinuite of 

 Ih'itain, and of Scotland more particularly, have sini>ularly 

 enough survived. I'lif instance, peach trees in Scotland seldom 

 rii)en their youn^' wood in any ordinary season sutticiently to 

 enable them to withstaiul 20° of frost with impunity, yet, during 

 the winter and spring of 1878-79, there is not one instance of 

 the young wood being affected, although the temperature was 

 even lower in some places. In Argyleshire, and other western 

 counties of ScotLuul, nuich of the innnunity which trees and 

 shrubs enjoyed from the elTects of last winter is attributed to 

 the comparatively scanty rainfall of tlic ])i-c\ious summer, and 

 the clear dry sunshine <if the autumn iiioiitlis, having ripened 

 the wot)tl and yinuig buds. No doubt, in such districts the in- 

 fluence of the sea in mitigating the rigours of the frost played a 

 considerable part in contributing to the escape of vegetation in 

 such places from the injurious effects produced elsewhere or in 

 less favoured localities. In the island of Arran this was con- 

 spicuously ap])arent; for there three species of the New Zealand 

 Blue Clum have withstood the frost. A large number of Australian 

 and New^ Zealand tree ferns have also escaped. In Arran, the 

 cold was much more intense during December than in January 

 last, but tliese s])ecies were observed to sufier less in their foliage 

 during the former than in the latter nuuith ; while other shrubs, 

 which seemed miaffected by the frost, have, since the spring sun- 

 shine intervened, evinced symptoms of injury to their foliage 

 and terminal points. The famous pine ti-ees at Castle Kennedy 

 appear to have been especially favoured, and very few casualties 

 are reported ; chiefly owing, probably, to the well-ripened shoots 

 of the previous year ; and nnicli less injury lias been done in 

 Wigtonshire generally than in the winter oi 1860-61, except in 

 low lying damp situations, with a south or south-eastern aspect. 

 Anotiier notable result of the effect of this severe season is the 

 injury done to variegated ])lants. This is peculiarly the case 

 with the Wdlinfjtonia (lignntea varicrjata, whose beautiful pale 

 yellow splashings have formed a singular attraction for the frost. 

 Also, all variegated hollies, ivies, &c., have suffered where the 

 situations are low and (hiiii] I, and luucli more severely than the 

 self or -zm variegated varieties. At Taymouth Castle a number of 

 very handsome golden hollies have been com])letely killed. 

 There also Arcmcarias haxe been much browned, and the planta- 

 tions in spring were littered with the previous year's growth of 



