336 Mr Lindsay's Report on Open- Air Vegetation, [sess. lii. 



January. — The weather of January has again been un- 

 usually mild for the season. Vegetation is considerably in 

 advance of what it was at the same date last year, early 

 though it was. Frost was registered on fourteen mornings, 

 indicating collectively 67° of frost for the mouth, as against 

 91° for the corresponding month last year. The lowest 

 readings of the thermometer occurred on the 3rd, 27°; 19th, 

 20°; 20th, 24°; 28th, 24°; 29th, 20°. The lowest day 

 temperature was 31°, which occurred on the 19th, and 

 the highest 59°, on. the 9th. On six days throughout 

 the month the maximum temperature reached 50°. The 

 rainfall was very light. Snow fell heavily on the 2nd, and 

 slight falls took place during the last four days of the 

 month. On the Rock Garden twenty-four species and 

 varieties came into flower. 



Of tlie forty plants whose dates of flowering are an- 

 nually recorded to the Society, the following came into 

 flower : — Tussilago fragrans, December 28 (1887) ; Doiidia 

 Epipaciis, January 5 ; Corylus AveUana, January 25 ; 

 Galanthus nivalis and Crocus susiamis, January 26 ; Galan- 

 tlms plicatus and Scilla |j?^a'caz;, January 26 ; S. sihirica, 

 January 30. 



Fehrnary. — The past month has been exceedingly wintry. 

 Frost was registered on twenty-three mornings, indicating 

 collectively 121° for the montb, as against 76° for the corre- 

 sponding month last year. The lowest readings of the 

 thermometer were on the mornings of the 12th, when the 

 glass fell to 18°; 13th, 23°; 15th, 24°; 16th, 9°; I7th, 21°. 

 The lowest day temperature was 34°, on the 24th, and the 

 highest was 52°, on the 8th of the month. Snow began to 

 fall f)U the 12tli. On the 13tli there was a fall of about 

 5 inclies, and renewed falls nK)re or less heavy occurred at 

 intervals till the end of the month. Vegetation, which had 

 started rnlhcr (;arly in consequence of the mildness of the 

 previous month, received a decided check. This has been 

 beneflcial rather than otherwise, in the present case, the 

 jimount of snow whidi hud fiillcn having preserved plants 

 from injury. Various half-liiiidy jtlants are, as yet, unin- 

 jured in the open ground. The, following spring idants 

 annually recoided ciiinc into llowcr, vi/.: — 



