THE SOIL 91 



which keeps them dry and warm and protects 

 them from sudden changes of temperature or 

 extremes of cold. When the spring comes 

 again, melting the snow, they are found ready 

 to shoot up and adorn those arid slopes with 

 the glory of their bloom. 



How very different are the conditions in 

 this country, where the winters are made up 

 of sudden changes, one day dry and warm, the 

 next bitterly cold, and always the ever-present 

 damp, which is more fatal than anything else ! 



Owing to the mild days the plants never 

 become really dormant, and are, therefore, far 

 more susceptible to cold than they would be if 

 they had ceased growing. 



As, however, the climate cannot be altered, 

 all that can be done is to protect those plants 

 which are most affected by the damp, such as 

 the Androsaces and other of the woolly-leaved 

 species. This protection can be obtained by 

 placing sheets of glass over the plants during 

 the winter months, say from November to 

 April, which, though unattractive in appear- 

 ance, will often save some treasure from 

 extinction. 



