316 On the Effects of the Winter o/ 1879-80. 



last December, 1879, such as Aucubas, Euonymuses, Tamarisks, and Hoses ; 

 its effects being more striking in the case of half-hardy shrubs than the 

 ordinary kinds. I think here, and around this district, that garden products 

 generally suffered less this last winter, than during the former one. That 

 may partly be accounted for from the fact of our situation being close upon, 

 and open to the sea, and therefore exposed to the east winds ; which, this last 

 spring, were not so continued as they were in the former spring of 1 879. 

 Regarding our height. North Berwick rises from 6 to 50 feet above the sea- 

 level; such situations as Archerfield and'Leuchie rising respectively from 75 

 to 180 feet. The lowest temperature here was one night in the winter of 

 1878, when the thermometer fell to 15° ; and last winter it fell to 13° ; so 

 that we had 17 degrees of frost in 1878, and 19 degrees of frost in 1879. 

 North Berwick, Sept. 10th, 1880. 



Leuchie Gardens, North Berwick. By Mr W. M. Alexander. 



In giving a few notes on the effects of the last two winters, on the vegeta- 

 tion at this place, I will state first that Leuchie is situated about two-and-a- 

 half miles from the sea, and has the German Ocean to the north and east, and 

 the Firth of Forth to the west, and is placed on a slight eminence, which 

 would fully expose it to the bitter east winds which prevail here in spring, 

 except for the closely wooded plantations which entirely surround the house 

 and grounds. The lawn is well closed in with tall trees of Beech, Elm, Ash, 

 Spruce, Fir, &c , with a thick undergrowth of Laurels, so that the more 

 tender shrubs and trees — in the margin and on the grass— are not exposed to 

 the full influence of the cold. 



Some of the more tender shrubs have been crippled and killed. Laures- 

 tinuses, as single specimens on the grass, are mostly killed to the ground. 

 Sweet Bays growing up amongst the other shrubs on the edge of the 

 grass are killed ; generally one or two having just escaped, but very much 

 crippled. Arbutuses are looking well and healthy, where they have been ex- 

 posed to the sun and plenty of air ; but where they were shaded by taller 

 trees they were killed entirely last winter— they escaped the winter before. A 

 large bed of Roses, well exposed to the west winds but sheltered in every 

 other quarter, has escaped with few or none of the plants going off. These 

 Roses are making better growths this summer than they have done for a year 

 or two. Pampas grass killed in different parts of the country, has escaped 

 here. Aucubas escaped the winter of 1878-79, but were very much browned 

 and crippled in that of 1879-80. 



In the flower garden, which is here surrounded by high walls, many 

 Laurestinuses were killed last winter. They were very little the worse the 

 winter before. The same remark applies to Euonymuses on the wall, looking 

 east, but in both cases they are growing away from the ground again. A 

 very old plant of Aloysia citriodora growing on the wall looking west was 

 quite killed in the winter of 1878 and 79. On the same wall growing beside 

 it are four old plants of Myrtle ; one having been there about fifteen years, I 

 believe. They had no covering whatever in the winter before last, and were 



