Mr Sadler's Report on Open-Air Vegetation. 143 



figs, &c., usually forced iu hot-houses, were very slow to start into 

 groAvth. 



The injury done to vegetables is much less than the average of 

 past seasons. Such tender subjects as Broccoli, Lettuce, Celery, &c., 

 have not stood the winter so well for the last eight years at least, 

 and the hardier crops, such as Cabbage, Leeks, Kale, Brussels Sprouts, 

 &c., have suiFered no injury except being a little broken down by 

 the weight of the snow. 



Fruit trees of all kinds were well ripened in the autumn, and 

 consequently have come through the storm unscathed. The wood 

 of peach trees on the open waUs is not usually so well ripened in 

 this country as to withstand with safety more than about 15^ of frost, 

 scarcely a killed point of a shoot can be seen. 



Trees and shrubs do not appear to have suffered to any serious 

 extent The weight of snow has broken down a good many Laurels 

 and Hollies, but the frost has not injured them much. The Laures- 

 tine and Arbutus have a few leaves browned, but are otherwise 

 quite uninjured. Magnolia grandiflora has its leaves browned on 

 a south walL (Jlianthns pwniceus on the same wall is killed to 

 the ground. It stood uninjured during the three previous winters. 

 Marechal Xeil rose on walls appears to be as hardy as Gloire de 

 Dijon. They grow alongside of each other, and are both uninjured. 

 Eurya latifolia variegata proves to be perfectly hardy, and is one 

 of the handsomest evergreen shrubs introduced from Japan. 

 Bamlmsa Fortunei and Azalea amcena, growing in the open border, 

 prove also to be quite hardy. Erica arhoreu and Mediterranea, 

 especially the latter, are much broken and injured by the snow. 

 The only conifer that shows injury is Picea pindrotp, the leaves of 

 which are browned. 



The deep snow and hard frost sealed up the herbage from rabbits 

 and other rodents, which were driven to commit serious ravages 

 upon trees and shrubs, and many covers and young plantations 

 have suffered dreadfully from their attacks. 



The scarcity of early flowers in the open air during the months of 

 January and February has been quite unprecedented. Xot a single 

 flower could be seen fully expanded during January nor till the 

 6th February, when I found the first fidly open flower upon 

 CJihnonanthus fragrans growing on a south aspect. On the 8th 

 February Viola " Cliveden Blue " opened a few flowers. Snowdrops 

 on 8th February were observed peeping out of their sheaths, but 

 were not fully expanded till the 12th. Besides these, the yellow 

 Primrose, common Polyanthus, Russian Violets, and Erica herbaceu 

 alba, were among the first to open their flowers. 



