124 Mr Sudlor's Eeport on Open- Air VrfjcUdion. 



I. Temperatures. 



Novemhe7' 1879. — The thermometer was at or below 32° 

 on seventeen mornings, the same number as that of Novem- 

 ber 1878 ; the lowest readings being on the following 

 dates :— 2d, 23° ; 3d, 26° ; 4th, 21° ; 14th, 20° ; 15th, 25° ; 

 22(1, 27° ; 23d, 28° ; 28th, 25° ; 29th, 18° ; 30th, 19°. The 

 three lowest temperatures during the month were on the 

 14th, 29th, and 30th, when 12°, 14°, and 13° of frost were 

 registered. 92° of frost were registered for the month as 

 compared with 42° for November 1878. Last year the 

 winter (which will be a long-remembered one) set in on 

 the 29th November ; this year it commenced on 2d 

 November. 



December 1879. — The thermometer was at or below the 

 freezing point 23 times, and there were registered collec- 

 tively during the month 230° of frost. From the 1st to 

 the 13th there was hard frost every night, viz., 1st, 23° ; 2d, 

 21° ; 3d, 4° ; 4th, 1°; 5th, 19°; 6th, 2r ; 7th, 17°; 8th, 15°; 

 9th, 21°; 10th, 22°; 11th, 20°; 12th, 25°; 13th, 28°. On eight 

 mornings there was no frost, although the temperatures 

 were not high. On the 25th, the register was 35°, while on 

 the 26th it was 20°, or 12° of frost. The temperature of the 

 4th is the lowest that has been registered at the garden 

 since Monday, 24th December 1860, when the mercury fell 

 to 6° below zero. In December 1878, there were regis- 

 tered 265° of frost for the month, and the thermometer was 

 at or below freezing point 29 times ; the lowest tempera- 

 ture being on the 14th, when 23° of frost were registered. 



Jannary 1880. — The thermometer was at or below the 

 freezing point on 21 mornings, while, in the same month 

 last year, it was so on 30 mornings. The following were 

 the seven lowest readings :— 12th, 23° ; 14th, 23°; 19th, 

 19°; 20th, 23°; 21st, 24°; 26th, 19°; 27th, 24°. There 

 were registered collectively 132°, compared with 221° in 

 1879. From the 1st to the 7th there was no frost, and 

 during the day the thermometer generally ranged from 42° 

 to 52°, but although the weather was extremely mild for 

 the season, spring vegetation made no progress, owing to 

 the decided check it received during December. The 

 Christmas roses (Hellcborus niger and H. niger grandijlora) 

 were in line flower during the month in the rock-garden. 



I 



