CALENDAR FOR THE YEAR 1871. 



THE year 1870 closed on a Saturday amidst snow and frost. 



My garden was covered deeply with snow, and scarce a trace of 

 vegetation was discernible. The Drumhead Cabbages were covered 

 over the top, showing a little green on one side. The Brussels 

 Sprouts and Sprouting Broccoli were only partially concealed ; but 

 everything else was perfectly covered, and nothing but a uniform 

 surface of snow could be discerned. 



It was very interesting to see the dark colour of the pure water 

 running down the central streamlet, with the white snow extending 

 to the very edge of the water. 



The Orchard-house was coated with a thick deposit of snow, and 

 all my frames were very properly covered with straw and bast mats, 

 over which was a thick layer of snow. The houses warmed, as the 

 Cucumber-house and Fern-house, had no snow, but icicles from a 

 few inches to two or three feet depended from the front lights. All 

 the doors had ice at their margins, so that it was difficult to open 

 them. The cats had found out the warmth of the glass, and 

 delighted to sit upon it. 



It was pitiable to see the poor birds, half stupid with cold and 

 starvation. The dear little robins attended closely upon the gardeners. 

 The starlings were so tame as to allow persons to approach quite 

 close, and the gardener picked up one and placed it in the Fernery, 

 where it forthwith began to look for insects and worms. It did not, 

 however, long survive. 



