Europe :~~a popular Physical Sketch. 413 



snow of any consequence, does not appear, because the 

 mountains are not sufficiently lofty, and yet on Ben Nevis, 

 Snowdon, and others, the snow remains the greater part of 

 the year, and single spots are covered even during summer. 



In Scotland the forests consist chiefly of^r and birch, 

 also oak, and in the most southern part beech. Edinburgh 

 (59°) may be laid down as the northern frontier of the latter 

 tree,* which consequently does not extend so far north as in 

 Norway, but still much farther than in the eastern part of 

 Europe. Most of the Scottish mountains are without forests, 

 and are moorlands covered with heaths. In England and 

 Ireland oak and beech form the chief feature in the forest 

 vegetation, and in the most southern part of England (to 

 about 51°) appears also the chesnut. Hazel is common in 

 either island. With regard to the Flora, the British Isles 

 differ very little from the continent of the same latitude ; in 

 the Highlands the dwarf-birch with many of the Norwegian 

 mountain plants appear. The damp climate, the mild win- 

 ters, and cool summers, render in England the grass-vegeta- 

 tion conspicuous, and the verdure of the meadows luxuriant. 

 Such plants as do not require beyond a certain degree of 

 summer heat and sunlight to develop the finest properties 

 of either fruit or seed, are in this country brought to high 

 perfection ; for instance, all sorts of esculent vegetables and 

 fruits ; but the more southern fruits never arrive at perfec- 

 tion in Great Britain. Thus in a latitude of 55° to 56° (the 

 latitude of Copenhagen) walnuts and mulberries don't ripen, 

 grapes fall green to the ground, and peaches are brought to 

 perfection by artificial heat only. Nevertheless some differ- 

 ence in this respect appears to exist between the east and 



* Professor Schouw doubtless refers in this, and all similar cases, to 

 the range of indigenous plants, see page 418, where he speaks in doubt 

 of the forests of the north of Germany, many of them being plantations. 

 Beech trees have however been extended in Scotland at least as far as 

 Elcbies in Strath spey. — Ed. 



