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





MEAN 



MEAN OP THE 



YEAK. 



MEAN. 



THREE MONTHS 



1870.— December 



30°.35 ) 





1871.— January 



28 .6] } 



.. 32°.78 



February 



39 .39 ) 





1871.— December 



33°.16 ) 





1872.— January 



36 .25 } 



.. 39°.52 



February 



39 .17 ) 





1872.— December 



35''.83 \ 





1873.— January 



38 .30 



.. 36°.15 



February 



34 .28 J 





1873.— December 



43^.54 ) 





1874.— January 



41 .71 



.. 41°.30 



February 



38 .67 ) 





1874.— December 



29°.97 i 





1875. — January 



39 .80 



.. 35°. 16 



February 



35 .71 ) 





1875.— December 



37°.57 i 

 37 .95 

 36 .98 ) 





1876.— January 



.. 37«.50 



February 





1876.— December 



39°. 34 \ 





1877.— January 



37 .18 ] 



.. 39°.44 



February 



39 .82 \ 





1877.-December 



39°. 62 ) 





1878.- January 



38 .42 ). 



.. 38°.19 



February 



36 .54 > 





1878.— December 



25°.75 1 





1879. -January 



28 .06 ' 



> .. 29°.01 



February 



33 .22 J 





You will observe bow low the temperature in December was tbe mean 

 maximum being only 2°. 67 above freezing ; and the mean minimum on less 

 than 15°. 17 below the freezing point, thus giving a mean mean of 25°. 75. 

 The lowest point reached during the winter was on the 17th of the same 

 month, when the thermometer went down to 3° below zero. 



As regards the disastrous effects of the low temperature on vegetation 

 during the past winter, I find it difficult to speak, for as usual circumstances 

 have so much to do with the results ; and I confess I have not given the 

 matter that amount of investigation this spring it would require iu order to 

 go into details minutely, which I had hoped to have been able to do. In the 

 kitchen garden the Brassica suffered 'much, for example, broccoli, a third of 

 it was destroyed, and what was left produced very small heads, which 

 prematurely went to seed. 



The fruit-buds of some of the finer kinds of pears are destroyed. Peach 

 trees on the open wall have escaped with a bare existence. All sorts of 

 tender Roses are either killed or have been cut down to the surface of the 

 ground. Laurels in low situations are a good deal hurt ; they are, however, 

 putting forth young shoots from the old wood. The following may also be 

 mentioned as having suffered.— Sweet Bay, Variegated Holly, Lauristinus, 

 Cedrus Deodara, Aucuba Japonica, Garrya elliptica, &c. 



June 20th, 1879. 



