SNOW AND ICE. 31 



orated form. The temperate climate of Spain finds 

 there a rival ; and the wine-grapes of Germany, Italy, 

 and even those of onr hothouses, succeed there per- 

 fectly. The thermometer seldom falls below forty- 

 seven degrees Fahrenheit, or rises above sixty. 



2. Snoiv storms. The benefits and evils resulting 

 from these are about equal. Upon strawberries the 

 effect is decidedly good, as it defends the tender 

 crown-buds which are to produce the fruit of the 

 next year. The result is the same upon all small 

 fruits, such as currants, gooseberries, and raspber- 

 ries, as it modifies the extremes of temperature. 

 When the snow has melted, if the water stands 

 upon the gound, the subsequent effect may be dis- 

 astrous : it becomes frozen, and settles down upon 

 strawberries, frequently occasioning their death. The 

 cause may not be uniform ; sometimes it may be ow- 

 ing to the exclusion of air : and yet it is difficult to 

 understand that plants in a dormant or frozen state 

 should require air. If the snow first melts, then 

 freezes, it forms a crust of ice, that may act as a 

 lens to concentrate the sun's rays and burn the 

 plant. The presence of ice upon the ground about 

 all trees or plants is very dangerous. The radiation 

 of heat from the tree near the surface of the ice 

 prevents it from being frozen so solid that the plant 

 cannot move, else the result might not be so ruin- 

 ous. A little unfrozen belt surrounds the tree, and 



