156 Report on Tcmpcratu7'es and Open- Air Vegetation. 



The lowest reading which has yet been registered at the 

 garden this winter was 22" which occurred on November 

 12th last. 



The mildness of this month was only paralleled by that 

 of December 1868, the mildest season recorded for thirty 

 years, when Pelargoniums, Calceolarias, and other bedding- 

 out plants remained throughout unprotected in the open. 

 Of the forty plants whose dates of flowering are annually 

 recorded, Tussilago fragrans and Dondia Epipactis appeared 

 twice this year in flower. 



The effects of the mildness of the season are very con- 

 spicuous in the case of the Cherry-Laurel, which has flower- 

 buds already advanced, the usual time of flowering being 

 April and May ; also Rihes sanguineum with much swollen 

 leaf-buds; Eoses with young shoots 2 to 4 inches in length. 

 Amongst herbaceous plants, Ferulas, Heracleum, Orobus, 

 and Sisyrinchium are well started into growth. 



The severe storm of wind of December 11 and 12, which 

 did so much damage throughout the country, passed over 

 fortunately without doing the slightest damage in the 

 garden. 



January 1884. — In January there were unprecedentedly 

 high night readings of the thermometer, along with the 

 lowest barometric reading ever recorded in Britain, that of 

 the 12th being 27'333 inclies accompanied by gales causing 

 great destruction to life and property. In the garden the 

 eff'ects of the storm were most conspicuous on the hard 

 rigid leaves of Yucca gloriosa, of which there are a large 

 number in the rock garden, those in exposed situations 

 having had their leaves bruised and broken ofi", thus 

 rendering them unsightly for a time. Of the forty plants 

 whose dates of flowering are annually recorded, fourteen 

 came into bloom during the month, while three only were 

 in flower at the same date last year. The lowest readings 

 occurred on the 4th, 23° ; 24th, 30° ; 26th, 29° ; 27th, 30° ; 

 28th, 30°. The highest morning readings were on the 

 6th, 47°; 9th, 60°; 18th, 47°; 19th, 48° ; 20th, 47°. On 

 the 22nd and 23rd there was heavy rain, accompanied by 

 high winds from the west and north-west. On the 24th 

 and 25th a considerable fall of snow took place. 



February. — During February the mild character of the 



