136 Effects of the Winter of 1878-9, by James Hardy. 



Ayton Castle Gardens, 2nd July, 1879. 



Mr BowHiLL supplied the following report, furnished by the 

 Gardener at Ayton Castle : — 



Whins killed to the ground. Portugal and Common Bay Laurel, a good 

 many injured ; but none killed outright. Broccoli, only 60 plants saved 

 out of 500 ; greens nearly all kiUed. Feas sown on 29th November, 1878, 

 quite uninjured and blooming beautiful. Birds and Slugs seen as plentiful 

 as ever ; I think I never saw more slugs than I have this season. Caterpillars 

 more abundant than ever on gooseberries. Frost severest on the morning of 

 14th December, 1878 — 29°. Average temperature all winter never ex- 

 ceeded 35«. 



Kimmerghame and Dunse. 



Mr Campbell Swinton writes, April 3, 1879 : — 

 My gardener assures me — and my own observations confirm his report — 

 that our plants and shrubs have suffered much less from the very severe 

 winter than was to be expected. Our chief enemies have been rabbits, who 

 have attacked many plants, which I never knew them injure before. The 

 laurels are much browned on the younger shoots, but a little pruning will 

 restore them to excellent condition. The only trees which I can mention as 

 having been killed — or nearly so, are an Arauearia, which has all its ends 

 bitten hopelessly ; and a variegated WelUngtonia, which looks very bad; 

 but was unfortunately planted in a position unusually exposed to frost. 



Mr John Eergctson writes from Dunse, May 2, 1879 : — 

 In the few walks I now take, I seldom see a thrush, and several observers 

 have remarked to me that they seem almost extinct. 



The newspapers recorded a great slaughter of blackbirds, &c., during the 

 storm, by some of the people in the vicinity of Dunse, for the purpose of sell- 

 ing the dead birds, I suppose, in London. A cockney appears to eat every- 

 thing that has feathers on it ; but there is no need for Scotch people supply- 

 ing this craving to the disregard of the dictates of mercy. 



Report on the damage done to Trees, Shrubs and Plants at Paxton 

 House, in the Parish of Kutton, Berwickshire, hy the severe frost 

 in the months of December, 1878, and January, 1879. By George 



MUIRHEAD. 



The winter of 1878-79 will be long remembered in the neighbourhood of 

 Paxton, as one of the most severe and protracted which has been experienced 

 during the present century, for the oldest people in the village say that they 

 do not recollect of a winter of such extraordinary severity, or of the snow 

 lying so long upon the ground without a thaw. For nearly nine successive 

 weeks in December, January, and February, snow lay deep all over the 



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