288 
NATURAL HISTORY 
It was in fuch an afpc6t that the fnow on the author's ever- 
greens was melted every day, and frozen intenfely every night ; 
fo that the lauruftines, bays, laurels, and arbutufes looked, in three 
or four days, as if they had been burnt in the fire ; while a neigh- 
bour's plantation of the fame kind, in a high cold fituation, where 
the fnow Vi'as never melted at all, remained uninjured. 
From hence I would infer that it is the repeated melting and 
freezing of the fnow that is fo fatal to vegetation, rather than the 
feverity of the cold. Therefore it highly behoves every planter, 
who wilhes to efcape the cruel mortification of lofing in a few days 
the labour and hopes of years, to befbir himfelf on fuch emer- 
gencies ; and, if his plantations are fmall, to avail himfelf of mats, 
cloths, peafe-haum, ftraw, reeds, or any fuch covering, for a 
fliort time ; or, if his flirubberies are extenfive, to fee that his 
people go about with prongs and forks, and carefully diflodge 
the fnow from the boughs : fince the naked foliage will fhift much 
better for itfelf, than where the fnow is partly melted and frozen 
again. 
It may perhaps appear at firft like a paradox ; but doubtlefs the 
more tender trees and flirubs Ihould never be planted in hot 
afpefts ; not only for the reafon afligned above, but alfo becaufe, 
thus circumftanced, they are difpofed to flioot earlier in the fpring, 
and to grow on later in the autumn, than they would otherwife do, 
and fo are fufFerers by lagging or early frofts. For this reafon 
alfo plants from Siberia will hardly endure our climate ; becaufe, 
on the very firll: advances of fpring, they flioot away, and fo are 
cut off by the fevcre nights oi March or April. 
Dr. Fotl-' erg ill and others have experienced the fame inconvenience 
with refpefi; to the more tender fhrubs from North-America ; which 
they therefore .plant under north-walls. There fhould alfo perhaps 
be 
