Mr Lindsay's Report on Open- Air Vegetation. 471. 



Fruit is very deficient on trees and shrubs, with the 

 exception of Yews, which had a good crop of berries, that 

 are being greedily devoured by birds. Holly berries could 

 hardly be scarcer than they are this year, while last year 

 they were most abundant. Haws are also very scarce. If 

 the converse holds good of the old adage, " Many haws, many 

 snaws," we ought to have a remarkably mild winter. 



Hardy Ehododendrons, Azaleas, Andromedas, and such 

 like plants are fairly well set with llower-buds, in marked 

 contrast to their barren condition last year. On the Rock 

 Garden thirteen species of plants came into flower, amongst 

 which were : — Hellehorus nigcr grandifiorus, Caryopteris 

 Mastacanthus, Rhododendron lepidotum, Saxifrcbga Fortunei, 

 Veronica Chathamica, &c. The total number which have 

 flowered since January 1 is 1-473 ; at the same date last year, 

 1534 had flowered. 



Novemher. — The past month has been very mild for the 

 season, and there has been extremely little rain or snow. A 

 good deal of frost occurred during the last week of the 

 month, which checked the too rapid growth that was taking 

 place on some plants. The thermometer was at or below the 

 freezing point on nine mornings, indicating collectively 38° of 

 frost for the month. The lowest readings were on the 17th, 

 24° ; 26th, 26° ; 27th, 26° ; 28th, 24° ; and 29th, 30°. The 

 lowest day temperature was 36°, on the 27th ; and the 

 highest, 60°, on the 7th. Eain fell on five days only during 

 the month. 



On the Eock Garden eight species came into blossom, viz., 

 Crocus Salzmanni, Crocus sp., Asia Minor ; Iris Bakeriana, 

 Androsace coronopifolia, Veronica ligustrifolia, Vinca acutiloha, 

 Hellehorus angustifolius, H. albicans. Most outdoor plants 

 are now in a resting state ; still a few winter-flowering shrubs 

 are in flower, such as Jasminiim nudijloruni. Ivy, Laurustinus, 

 and Veronica Andersoni. Fruit is remarkably scarce on 

 shrubs generally. 



December. — Like the preceding month, December has been 

 remarkable for the extreme mildness of weather which pre- 

 vailed. The thermometer was at or below the freezing point 

 on eighteen occasions, the aggregate amount of frost regis- 



