136 NATURAL HISTORY 



rustines, and laurels, were killed to the 

 ground ; and the very wild hollies, in hot 

 aspects, were so much affected that they 

 cast all their leaves. 



By the 14th of January the snow was 

 entirely gone; the turnips emerged not 

 damaged at all, save in sunny places ; the 

 wheat looked delicately, and the garden 

 plants were well preserved ; for snow is 

 the most kindly mantle that infant vege- 

 tation can be wrapped in : were it not for 

 that friendly meteor no vegetable life 

 could exist at all in northerly regions. 

 Yet in Sweden the earth in April is not 

 divested of snow for more than a fortnight 

 before the face of the country is covered 

 with flowers. 



