THE CLIMATE AND SPRING FROSTS. 



561 



June, cherries about the middle, and towards the end of the month 

 gooseberries and currants. In July our frames yield us melons, and 

 our Poor Man's house grapes. At the end of the month the early 

 crops of pears, apples, and plums ripen, and the Orchard-house yields 

 us peaches, nectarines, and apricots. During May and June nature 

 delights in activity, every tree, shrub, and plant growing with rapidity and 

 energy. This continues more or less, according to the species, when 

 vegetation comes to a remarkable standstill in August, but ripens its 

 wood for the fruit of the'next year, and then we sow the seed of lettuces, 

 onions, and cauliflowers to stand the winter. The leaves begin to 

 drop in the middle of October, and the trees are bare by the end of 

 November. The mosses and lichens, following the saxifrages, continue 

 their growth throughout the winter. The snow-clad ground beside 

 the bright water of the river, and overhung by the beautiful tracery 

 of the leafless trees, affords a picture of another kind to gladden our 

 hearts and make us thankful for the glorious perfection of Nature, 

 which even amidst frost and snow is charming and beautiful. 



() O 



