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



high winds swept it oH" trees, shruhs and crops, so tliat it afforded 

 very little protection to them against the severity of the frost. 



In February, frost prevailed every day, except on the 4th. The 

 severest was 1G° of frost on the 28th; the total amount for the 

 month being 162'. A considerable depth of snow fell, but was again 

 swept off crops and trees by frequent gales. On the 7th a severe 

 gale of frosty wind, from the S.-W., did great injury to evergreens, 

 especially to Conifers exposed to its direct force. In many cases, it 

 stripped them of their foliage on the windward side and left them 

 with a brown, naked, and unhealthy look, from which it will take 

 some seasons of favouralde weather to completely restore them. 



March came in with 17° of frost on the 1st, 22° on the 2nd, and 

 20° on the 3rd, which was followed by a high gale of frosty wind 

 from the E. on the 4th, 5th, and 6th, which drifted the loose snow 

 fiercely before it, and laid vegetable crops completely bare to the 

 severities of the storm ; from Avhicli in consequence they suffered 

 great damage. During the mouth frost was registered on 22 days, 

 and amounted in all to 179°. 



April began with 12° of frost on the 1st, increasing to 14° on the 

 6th, and continued frosty till the 12th. From the 18th till the 24th 

 frost prevailed; there being 96° of frost registered on 18 days this 

 month. Vegetables suffered severely from the keen frost in the 

 early part of the month, and young cabbage and other plants were 

 completely destroyed by the keen biting frosty wind. 



May opened with mild weather; but on the 3rd there were 5° of 

 frost, on the 9th 1°, on the 10th 3°, on the 16th 1°, and on the 17th 

 2°, after which there was no more frost for the season. In this 

 month, 12° of frost were registered on 5 days. From the 12th of 

 October till the 17th of May,— 217 days,— there were 148 frosty 

 days, on which 1300° of frost were registered. 



From the first week in ]\Iay the day temperature increased rapidly, 

 and although crops were at that time fully three weeks behind the 

 average, by the end of the month they had almost reached the usual 

 stage of growth at that season. The last days of May and the first 

 week of June were excessively warm, and, there being abundance of 

 moisture in the soil, vegetation made vigorous and rapid growth till 

 about the end of the month, when continuous rains and cold began 

 to show their paralysing effects on vegetation, and for the remainder 

 of the season there was comparatively little growth. Fruit trees, in 

 general, had a favourable period for flowering and setting their crops, 

 which were above an average ; but owing to the cold and wet 

 summer and autumn most kinds of fruit were deficient in flavour 

 and quality. 



Except where trees and shrubs were exposed to the fierce blast 



