Effects of the Winter of 1878-9, by James Hardy. 147 



Lilhwn Tower. By Mr John Deas. 



I am just now busily engaged in cutting down shrubs that have suffered 

 most here by the hard winter. They are chiefly Common Laurels and Rho- 

 dodendrons. Cyprus and Red Cedars have also been hurt a good deal. 

 Arborvitas are very much broken by the weight of snow ; even the Yews, 

 hardy as they are, are very much browned, and likewise the Ivies The 

 Portugal Laurel has stood almost uninjured. Roses : Standards all killed ; 

 Dwarfs killed to the snow -line ; Biennials all killed ; Broccoli totally 

 destroyed ; in fact little of the Cabbage tribe left alive, and I fear some of 

 the fruit trees are injured, Pears especially. 



Lilburn Tower. By Mr Thomas Elliott. 



Feb. 3, 1879. A great many birds have perished with the severe storm. I 

 found a great quantity of blackbirds after the last storm, that appeared to 

 have been frozen to death with two nights of intense frost that we had here, 

 as the birds were in good condition. The thrushes have all disappeared from 

 this neighbourhood. Partridges and wood-j)igeons suffered very much. "We 

 commenced to feed the partridges in the turnip fields, with hay-seeds, which 

 saved a good many. There have been a great quantity of snipes, woodcocks, 

 and ducks about the Aller Burn these last few weeks, 



RocTc. By Mr James Cleugh. 

 Effects of last winter's frost on shrubs and trees : — 

 Lauristinus most injured ; Common Laurels a little injured ; Sweet Bays 

 much scorched ; Escallonia much scorched ; Menziesia banks much scorched ; 

 Rhododendrons, in exposed places, much scorched ; Ehododendrum arboreuni 

 (white) uninjured ; about 30 flowers coming out. Rhododendriim uUrodarcns 

 (scarlet) , coming out full of flower ; Fhillyrca, a little browned ; Portugal 

 Laurels not at aU injured ; Azores Laurel not injured. Some of the tender 

 Roses cut down, many came again from the root. Wellingtonias, a little in- 

 jured where exposed. Pines, the various sorts not hurt, except one, insignis. 

 Fruit trees in general are promising. This, as far as I can see, is the extent 

 of damage done. 

 April 2Wi, 1879. 



Mr Bosanquet, in supplying this report, states, that they have 

 not suffered much at Eock : — 



The thermometer has not, I believe, been below 13 degrees (19 below 

 freezing), that was in the middle or end of January ; on the 13th of Decem- 

 ber it must have been nearly as low. We have only a few Conifers, mostly 

 of hardy kinds, in the pleasure grounds. The TFellingtonia will not stand our 

 winds, several promising ones have become thin and bare ; only those in 

 sheltered situations have a chance. The Cembra, Nordmanniana, Thuiopsis 

 borealis, Thuja gigantea do capitally. The Laurus Azorica does well too. 



