544 Report on the hardy Fruits for 1837, 



Art. II. Report on the hardy Fruits for the Year 1837; 'voith some 

 preliminary Observations on Climate. By Robert Thompson, 

 Fruit-Gardener to the Horticultural Society in their Garden at 

 Chiswick. 



A VERY remarkable season has been experienced since I for- 

 merly communicated some notices respecting fruits, published 

 in your Magazine for December, 1836 ; and a few remarks 

 on the same, and on resulting consequences as regards fruits, 

 may not be inappropriately adduced in now attempting a similar 

 account of such kinds as have come under my farther observ- 

 ation, as deserving of particular attention : such being made 

 agreeably to the permission previously granted by a council of 

 the Horticultural Society for furnishing those accounts. 



The spring of 1836 was late; but it was succeeded by three 

 fine months up to September, when weather more hke that of 

 the end than the beginning of autumn set in : cold, cloudy, fre- 

 quently boisterous, and very wet. Nor were the hopes realised 

 that bad weather coming on thus early would soon clear up, and 

 be followed by a good autumn ; for October was most remark- 

 ably cold, with much rain, and even frost and snow. The flowers 

 of the dahlias were cut off by about 4° Fahr. of frost, as early as 

 the 4th of October; and, on the morning of the 29th, the ground 

 was covered with snow to the depth of 3 in. This arrested 

 vegetation as far as regarded deciduous trees and shrubs ; and, to 

 many species, such as the vine and fig, the action was more 

 especially premature : the former, where growing in the open 

 ground, had its leaves green; and, at the same time, its shoots 

 were so immature, owing to the previously moist and clouded 

 state of the atmosphere, that the pith, in the course of the 

 winter, became more or less blackened down to the old wood; 

 and nurserymen found a difficulty in obtaining sufficiently sound 

 eyes for the purposes of propagation. 



January and February last were not unusually severe. March 

 forwarded vegetation but little : it was even 4° colder than 

 February ; and, with the month last mentioned, April, notwith- 

 standing the great difference in the length of the days, was only 

 of equal temperature ; the mean of the external air being as low 

 as 41^° Fahr. ; consequently, the sap of plants, water being in it 

 the principal constituent, could not have much elasticity. The sun 

 was almost constantly obscured, and the foliage of many exotics 

 acquired a yellow tinge; for, although plants under glass could 

 be protected from the cold, yet the want of solar light was not 

 to be supplied, or artificially substituted ; this being one of the 

 desiderata in the science of horticulture, which most probablj'', 

 will ever remain so. Owing to the want of solar heat, the range 

 of temperature had not its usual extent; nor were its oscillations 



