68 TRANSACTIONS AND PROCEEDINGS OF THE [Sess. lv. 



days the mercury remained at or a little below the freezing 

 point. Dull, sunless weather and light fogs were frequent, 

 and but little rain until the latter part of the month. 

 The greatest depth of snow was 2 inches during the night 

 of the 20th. 



A gale of exceptional severity raged over this part of the 

 country on the last day of the month, doing considerable 

 damage over whole districts of country ; otherwise the month 

 was a fine one, as compared with that experienced in England 

 and Europe generally. 



Vegetation is in a more dormant state than in any pre- 

 vious January since 1886. 



On Temperature and Vegetation at the Eoyal 

 Botanic Garden during January 1891. By Egbert Lind- 

 say, Curator. 



During the past month of January, the w^eather ex- 

 perienced was more severe than it has been for that month 

 since 1886 ; still, we have no such disastrous frosts to record 

 as have been prevalent in the south of England. The 

 thermometer was at or below the freezing point on seven- 

 teen occasions, indicating collectively 126° of frost for the 

 month, as against 45° for the corresponding month last year. 

 The lowest readings occurred on the 7th, 20° ; 8th, 18° ; 

 10th, 22° ; 18th, 19° ; 23rd, 21°. The lowest day tempera- 

 ture was 33° on the 21st, and the highest 53° on the 28th. 

 West and south-west winds were prevalent. Bain fell on 

 nine days, and snow on six days, during the month. The 

 continuance of dull, cold weather has had the effect of re- 

 tarding the flowering of spring plants considerably. Of the 

 forty selected plants whose dates of flowering are annually 

 recorded to the Society, the following five came into flower, 

 viz. : Rliodode'rulron atrovirens, on January 21 ; Titsdlago 

 frcKjrans, January 26 ; Dondia UpijMctis, January 30 ; Galan- 

 thiis plicatus, January 30 ; G. nivcdis, January 31. At the 

 same date last year as many as eighteen were in flower. On 

 the Bock Garden only six plants came into flower during 

 January, viz. : Hellehorus atrorubens, H. purpurascens, 

 Primida ivjlata, Dondia Epipadis, Galanthus plicatus, and 



