226 Mr R. Lindsay's Report on Opcn-Air Vegetatioii. 



on tlie 24tli. A good deal of rain fell througliout the 

 month, but hardly any snow. Vegetation is making slow 

 progress. Ribes, Thorns, Lilacs, Roses, and other deciduous 

 trees and shrubs, are late in developing leaf and flower- 

 l)uds. They are from three weeks to a month later than 

 last season; the buds, however, are remarkably strong and 

 vigorous, and with more genial weather will make rapid 

 progress. The Hazel, AlAar, PJiododendron atrovirens, oxid 

 Daphne Mezereum came into flower, and were well covered 

 with bloom during the month. Early flowering liybrid 

 Rhododendrons are well set with flower-buds, and, along 

 with most other hardy plants which are used for forcing 

 purposes, are being more readily induced to flower when 

 put into heat than is usual, mainly owing to their having 

 been so well ripened during the fine dry summer last year. 

 Spring flowers are also late in coming into bloom, but they 

 promise to be very fine ere long; those that have already 

 flowered are strong and richly coloured. On tiie rock 

 garden twenty-four species and varieties of hardy plants 

 came into flower during the month, while at the same date 

 last year forty-one were recorded as having flowered. At 

 the end of February 1884, no less than ninety difi'erent 

 species were counted in flower. At the end of the past 

 month only thirty-eight could be found. 



March. — During the past month the weather has been 

 excessively cold and dry, vegetation generally has in conse- 

 quence made very little progress, and is still about three weeks 

 behind. The thermometer fell below freezing-point on 

 nineteen nights ; collectively, 82° of frost were registered 

 for the month, as against 29° for the corresponding month 

 last year. The lowest readings occurred on the 9th, 23°; 

 14th, 25°; 22nd, 25°; 23rd, 21°; 28th, 26°. The highest 

 morning readings were — on the 8th, 40°; 11th, 40°; 17th, 

 45°; 26th, 45°; 29th, 44°. The lowest day temperature 

 was 39°, which occurred on the 9th; and the highest, 55°, 

 on the 28th. Flowers of Bhododendron Nobleanvm were 

 injured by frost on the 23rd. Deciduous trees and shrubs 

 are late in developing their leaves ; Thorns, Poplar, and 

 Lilac, which usually have their leaves more or less 

 expanded by the end of March, had not a single leaf fully 

 developed at that date this year. Willows and Elms are 



