]\[r Sadler's Report on Open-Air Vegetation. 249 



of the frosty winds, whicli were such a prominent feature of the 

 past winter, they have suffered less than usual in such a severe 

 season. Vegetable crops, however, were so much exposed to the 

 biting blast of the frosty winds, and daily freezing and thawing 

 for such a lengthened period, that they suifered more than they have 

 done in this district for many years, and in many places the losses 

 were very great. 



Among plants killed or injured, the following may be noted : — 

 Some plants of Arbutus unedo which had been killed to the ground 

 in the previous winter, are now killed outright ; not a single plant 

 being left alive. Aucuha japonica has stood the past winter much 

 better than the previous one, and shows little signs of injury. 

 Common Laurels are severely injured ; so much so that many 

 of them are killed to the ground, and the remainder were so 

 much damaged that they had to be cut over. Most of them are 

 breaking away freely from the stools, but it will take some years 

 till the gaps are again filled. Laurustinus suffered great injury 

 during the two previous winters, and the few plants left stood the 

 winter with little additional injury, — a few of the young growths 

 being kdled. Sweet Bay (Laurits nuhilis) was again cut to the 

 ground, but is now coming away strong from the stools. Magnolia 

 grandijiora, on wall, suifered no injury, wdiile Escalhinio. macrantha 

 on same Avail is severely injured, being killed almost to the ground. 

 Grislinia littoralit<, Elceagnus reflexa, and Berheris Beali, are again 

 killed to the ground. Heaths of various kinds have suffered con- 

 siderably ; Erica arborea which withstood the previous two severe 

 Avinters, having been almost destroyed. Ehododcndrons yviih 

 any trace of Rhudodendron arboreum blood in them have suffered 

 severely, some being killed outright, and mostly all of them so badly 

 damaged as to require to be cut back. Great numbers of the flower 

 buds of hybrid Ithododendrons Avere killed, and the remainder so 

 badly injured that they never came to maturity, so that there Avas 

 great scarcity of floAvers upon them this season. The buds of the 

 common Rhododendron ponticum were also slightly injured in Avet 

 loAV lying spots, but there Avas such an abundance of them that 

 the few that Avere killed Avere not missed, and the display of lioAver 

 was very fine. A feAv bushes of Rhododendron ferrugineum Avere 

 eaten to the stumps by hares and rabbits during the snow storms 

 in January and February. For these dAvarf sorts of Rhododen- 

 drons, rabbits appear to have a great partiality. Other Rhodo- 

 dendrons groAving alongside of them were not touched. 



Conifers in general stood the Avinter well ; and except the brown 

 and blasted appearance of those exposed to the frosty gales, they 

 exhibit no signs of injury, even among some that are generally con- 



