2()0 LIlMON (;R()\'ES at MKNTOjVK. 



tropes were frozen, or lost their foliage. The size of the 

 Bush Spursjes [Eupliorhia dciidroidcs) growing- all over 

 the western slope of Cap Martin proves how favourable 

 are the climatic conditions. Onh* in the south of Sardinia 

 can larger specimens be found, l^he luxuriant Lemon 

 groves close b\' in Mentone bear \\itn_ess to the mildness 

 of the climate in this region. The Lemon cannot endure 

 a temperature lower than — 5" C. Its fruits freeze at 

 — 3" C Imagine the agitation of the people last winter 

 when the thermometer repeatedh' sank below zero. The 

 owner of a large Lemon plantation told me that in the 

 cold nights he had stood for hours watching the thermo- 

 meter, in great anxiety lest the mercnr\' should fall still 

 lo^\ er. Half a degree more and the whole ^•ear's crop 

 would be lost; indeed in man\' places in Mentone last 

 winter the lemons \A'ere frozen but fortunateh' not the trees. 

 This occurred chietL' at the entrances to the valle\s where 

 there is insufficient shelter from the north. Lemon trees 

 should never be planted in such spots: but alter man\' 

 mild winters in succession people become forgetful and 

 take no precautions. As a rule the cold north winds do 

 not touch the coast, but reach the sea a fe\\' kilometres 

 from it, and it often happens that the sea out there is 

 quite storm^' while perfect calm reigiis on the coast. At 

 Mentone the Orange trees, too, ha^■e stood this winter 

 ver\' well. With a cloud)- sk^,- the fruit \\\\\ stand — 4"C 

 and the cold must remain at — 6" C for some time to 

 kill the tree. This is the reason w1t\' Orange trees, but 

 not T^emons, are to be seen at Caniies: e^'en at (rolle 

 Jouan the foliage of the former was parth' trozen. ^Fhe 



