3.00 NATURAL HISTORY 



rather than the severity of the cold. Therefore it highly 

 behoves every planter, who wishes to escape the cruel morti- 

 fication of losing in a few days the labour and hopes of 

 years, to bestir himself on such emergencies ; and, if his 

 plantations are small, to avail himself of mats, cloths, peaso- 

 haum, straw, reeds, or any such covering for a short time ; 

 or if his shrubberies are extensive, to see that his people 

 go about with prongs and forks, and carefully dislodge the 

 snow from the boughs: since the naked foliage will shift 

 much better for itself, than where the snow is partly melted 

 and frozen again. 



It may perhaps appear at first like a paradox ; but doubt- 

 less the more tender trees and shrubs should never be 

 planted in hot aspects ; not only for the reason assigned 

 above, but also, because thus circumstanced, they are dis- 

 posed to shoot earlier in the spring, and to grow on later in 

 the autumn than they would otherwise do, and so are 

 sufferers by lagging or early frosts. For this reason also 

 plants from Siberia will hardly endure our climate : because, 

 on the very first advances of spring, they shoot away, and 

 so are cut off by the severe nights of March or April. 



Dr. Fothcrgill and others have experienced the same 

 inconvenience with respect to the more tender shrubs from 

 North America ; which they therefore plant under north 

 walls. There should also perhaps be a wall to the east to 

 defend them from the piercing blasts from that quarter. 



This observation might without any impropriety be car- 

 ried into animal life ; for discerning bee-masters now find 

 that their hives should not in the winter be exposed to the 

 hot sun, because such unseasonable warmth awakens the 

 inhabitants too early from their slumbers ; and, by putting 

 their juices into motion too soon, subjects them afterwards 

 to inconveniences when rigorous weather returns. 



The coincidents attending this short but intense frost 

 were, that the horses fell sick with an epidemic distemper, 

 which injured the winds of many, and killed some; that 

 colds and coughs were getieral among the human species ; 

 that it froze under people's beds for several nights; that 

 meat was so hard frozen that it could not be spitted, and 



