EFFECT OF FROSTS OF WINTER OF 191 6-17 ON VEGETATION. 397 
damage was caused by wind, protection from, or exposure to, the east 
made all the difference between severe injury or none, e.g. a tall plant 
of Rhamnus Alaternus variegata west of Aldenham House is barely 
touched, and a smaller one to the east of the building has lost many 
boughs and twigs. 
" In the case of some of my rarest plants, such as Aesculus Wilsoni, 
Emmenopterys Henryi, &c., I am unable to report how they stood the 
winter, for, having only one specimen and knowing that if lost they 
could hardly be replaced, I kept them in large pots, and they passed 
the cold weather securely located in a shed. 
" My first idea was to publish this article and the accompanying 
lists as a separate account of the effects of the winter of 1916-17 
on tree and shrub life, but learning that my friend Mr. Augustus 
Bowles was engaged in the heavy task of arranging and collating 
reports from numerous sources throughout the British Isles, I have 
thought it better to hand over my material to him, that he may 
incorporate it or make such use of it as he shall think best." 
Vicary Gibbs. 
General Note on Weather of Winter 1916-17. 
Mr. R. H. Curtis has very kindly drawn up the following note 
regarding the weather of the winter of 1916-17. 
"•When it is desired to compare the effects of abnormal weather 
upon vegetation in a particular season, with those observed in 
corresponding seasons of former years, it is seldom safe to rely to 
any great extent upon one's personal impressions or recollections 
concerning what had occurred months, or it might even be years, 
before. Even when such recollections can be reinforced by memoranda 
made at the time, unless the memoranda are very full and complete 
there is still danger of a wrong judgment, owing to the fact that 
more than one factor capable of influencing the result has to be given 
its due weight ; and of these factors a very important one is the 
condition of plant- life, as affecting its sensitiveness to injury, at the 
time when the abnormal weather occurred ; and in addition there 
always remains the unfortunate — but unquestionable — fact that 
with the lapse of time some impressions are apt to deepen, and to 
acquire an undue importance in one's retrospect ; whilst with others 
the reverse may be the case. 
"It is especially desirable to bear these considerations in mind 
in the present case, because so many of the data available appear to 
be based entirely upon personal recollection ; and an endeavour has 
been made to supplement and support them whenever possible by 
additional instrumental evidence as to the character of the weather 
conditions. 
" For the purpose of the inquiry a Schedule of fourteen questions 
was sent out, asking for information as to the climatological 
VOL. XLIII. 2 j-v 
