224 Mr Pi. Lindsay's lleport on Open-Air Vegetation. 



interrupted. Only two species of plants came into flower 

 on the rock-garden, viz., Kniphojia Quartiniana and Statice 

 inccma, but there are a good many species still in bloom of 

 those formerly recorded. Outdoor vegetation is in an 

 almost dormant condition. 



December. — Frost was registered on twenty mornings 

 during the past month of December, indicating collectively 

 88' ; during the same month of 1883, 22° only were 

 registered. Although frost has thus been pretty constant 

 throughout the month, yet it has not been very severe at 

 any particular time, the low^est point reached being 12° 

 of frost. On the 23rd more or less frost occurred every 

 night from the 15th till the end of the month. A slight 

 fall of snow took place on the evening of the 16th, which 

 had not altogether disappeared by the end of the month, 

 owing to the recurring frost at nights. Tlie highest day 

 temperature was 50°, which was registered on five occasions 

 between the 6th and the 14th ; the lowest was 29° on the 

 22nd of the month. The lowest night readings were on the 

 22nd, 22°; 23rd, 20°; 26th, 22°; 29th, 24^^; 30th, 27°; 

 and the highest morning readings w'ere on the 3rd, 44°; 

 7th, 46°; 11th, 43'; 13th, 46^ 14th, 45°. The following 

 six species of pjlants came into flower, on the rock garden, 

 during the month, viz., Crocus hyzantinus , Hellehorus niger 

 angustifolius, H. orientalis, H. albicans major, H. imiyura- 

 scens var., Hepatica triloba, making a total of 1121 species, 

 and well marked varieties as having flowered during the 

 past year. At the meeting of the Society on January 

 10 last, I exhibited flowers of fifty-three species of 

 pjlants w^hich were gathered out-of-doors ; to-day only 

 twenty-six species could be found, none of which are 

 typical spring flowers. 



January 1885. — The weather of January was very 

 favourable in regard to open-air vegetation. The tempera- 

 ture was uniformly cold througliout the month, but at no 

 time excessively so. No extremes either of heat or cold 

 having occurred, vegetation has sufi'ered verj' little in conse- 

 quence ; comparatively tender plants are still uninjured in 

 the open ground. Frost w^as registered on no less than 

 eighteen occasions, amounting collectively to 72°, as com- 

 pared with 20° for the corresponding month last year. 



