154 THE GARDENER. [April 



recorded by Sir Tliomas Mitchell, and wliicli was made the subject of 

 comment in the ' Journal of the Horticultural Society of London ' at 

 the time ; but space forbids me quoting at length here : your readers 

 must refer to the book itself. Only I may quote that the Cymbidium 

 canaliculatum, the only orchidaceous epiphyte observed, was in flower 

 under a night temperature of 33° and 34'', that by day not exceeding 

 86"^. Here is a range of 53'', where plants more susceptible of changes 

 of temperature than the Vine are found growing. And, further, judg- 

 ing from Mr Atkinson's experiences about Shikapore — grilling by day 

 and frosty by night — we can only conclude that the daily range of the 

 temperature must have considerably exceeded 55°. I am also informed 

 from private sources, though I cannot give statistics, that the differ- 

 ence between the day and night temperature in some of the Vine-grow- 

 ing districts in the north of France is something remarkable. It is 

 said that in clear weather during April and May, when the Vines are 

 growing, it is not unusual for the mercury to range between 80° and 

 90° in the shade at noon, and fall nearly to the freezing-point during 

 the night. At such times Vine-growers tremble for their prospects ; 

 but it appears the Vine when shooting will stand, without being mate- 

 rially injured, a temperature that is not actually freezing. That there 

 is nothing improbable in what I have stated regarding the above tem- 

 perature in France, is proved by the statistics of the Scottish Meteoro- 

 logical Society. Owing to the insular position of Great Britain, ex- 

 tremes of temperature do not prevail as on the Continent ; but a refer- 

 ence to the tables of this Society will show that the daily range of tem- 

 perature in Scotland during the spring months is very considerable, 

 and sometimes excessive. I am not speaking of mean temperatures, 

 which are valueless to a great extent. For instance, at one station we 

 read of the thermometer in April registering 7 2°. 5 max., and three 

 days later 27° min. At another station the thermometrical range 

 between these dates is 47°. 5. Again, at Dollar, we find the noon-day 

 temperature on a certain occasion in April registered at 80°, and falling 

 to 31° the same night. Then, in East Lothian, between the 23d and 

 28th of July, the thermometer is fluctuating between 43° and 89°; and 

 so on. It must be remembered, however, that the ranges here noted 

 are between the lowest night temperatures and the maximum in the 

 shade, and do not represent the actual extremes which vegetation 

 endures. For instance, at one station we find the thermometer in the 

 sun recording 140°. 8, where on the same day the highest in the shade 

 was 60°. Thus, if we suppose the glass fell to 40° before morning, 

 we have a range of 100° in 24 hours. This is what takes place in 

 some parts of these islands, and the changes are more sudden, and 

 therefore more destructive. But as under the clear skies of the Con- 



