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during the last winter may be attributed to three reasons. First, 
during the whole time of the frost the air was very still ; there 
was very little wind; and I have always found that wind does 
more mischief to plants, especially to shrubs, than hard frosts. 
Secondly, the frost was continuous, with very few alternations of 
frost and thaw. The mischief done to plants is generally after a 
thaw, when plants begin to put out shoots and leaves, and if the 
frosts come back then, the results are disastrous. This was shown 
very strongly in an, unexpected way—I found that many plants 
under a South wall or in sheltered places suffered more than the 
same plants in more exposed situations. I had three healthy 
plants of the New Zealand Senecio Greyi, all slightly protected 
against wind, but two of them in very sheltered spots, the third 
in the open garden, and of the three the two in the sheltered 
spots were entirely killed, the third was uninjured; and the 
same thing occurred with other plants. The third reason was 
that the frost did not come till the plants were well at rest. I 
am sure that a frost coming when the plants are still green, and 
their vessels full of sap, does far more harm than if it comes when 
the plants are all comfortable in their winter sleep. To me these 
reasons sufficiently account for so many of our plants coming 
unscathed through such a frost, but whether I am right or not 
the fact remains the same, that, though our plants had very little 
of nature’s own protection of snow, they showed themselves well 
able to take care of themselves, and did take care of themselves far 
better than in some other winters which were far milder and 
much more destructive. 
The great frost has taught me some lessons. I think the chief 
_ lesson that I have learnt is that I am more ignorant about frost 
and its effects than I thought I was; at any rate it presented to 
me a lot of fresh puzzles which I cannot answer. Another thing 
that I have learned is that to divide plants into hardy and tender 
is a most uncertain division, because, of many plants of the same 
Species in the garden, some were killed by the frost and some 
