558 
THE FOWER GARDEN OF THE POETS. 
conferta was coming into flower, and Euca- 
lypti, with the usual Australian vegetation, 
were abundant. On the 30th of May, at the 
elevation of 1,118 feet, the almost tropical 
Delabechea was found growing, with the tem- 
perature at sun-rise 22° and at nine p.m. 31°, 
so that it must have been exposed to a night's 
frost gradually increasing through 12°. And 
this was evidently the rule during the months 
of May, June, and July (our November, 
December, and January); in latitude 26° 
S. among Tristanias, Phebaliums, Zamias, 
Hoveas, Myoporums, and Acacias, the even- 
ing temperature was observed to be 29°, 22°, 
37°, 29", 25°, falling during the night to 26°, 
21°, 12°, 14°, 20°; in latitude 25° S. the tents 
were frozen into boards at the elevation of 
1,421 feet, the thermometer, July 5, sunk 
during the night from 38" to 16°, and there 
grew Cryptandras, Acacias, Bursarias, Boro- 
nias, Stenochiles, and the like. Cymbidium 
canaliculatum, the only orchidaceous epiphyte 
observed, was in flower under a night tem- 
perature of 33° and 34"; that by day not ex- 
ceeding 86°. These facts throw quite a new 
light upon the nature of Australian vege- 
tation. It may be supposed that so low a 
temperature must have'been accompanied by 
extreme dryness, and such appears to have 
been usually the case. Nevertheless, it can- 
not have been always so, for although we have 
no hygrometrical observations for June and 
July, and only four for May, yet there is 
other evidence to show that the dryness can- 
not always have been remarkable. In May 
the hygrometer indicated '764, '703, '934, or 
nearly saturation, and -596 ; yet the sun-rise 
temperature was on those occasions 25°, 28°, 
30°, and 34°. On the 22d of May, the grass 
was white with hoar frost, and then the ther- 
mometer was at sun-rise 20° under canvass 
and 12° in the open air ; and on the 5th of 
July, when it rained all day and the tents 
were ' frozen into boards,' the thermometer 
sank during the night from 38° to 16°. 
" It is probable that this power of resist- 
ing cold is connected with the very high 
temperature to which Australian vegetation 
is exposed at certain seasons, and this is hor- 
ticulturally a most important consideration. 
"We find that in latitude 32° S. in January 
(our July) the thermometer stood eight days 
successively above 100°, and even reached 
115° at noon; that it was even as high as 
112° at four p. m. ; that in the latter part of 
February one degree nearer the line it was 
twice 105" and once 110"; that in March one 
degree further northward it frequently ex- 
ceeded 100°, and there was not much fall in 
this excessive temperature up to the end of 
April. This will be more evident from the 
following — 
Table of Noon-day Temperatures. 
Lat. 
Month. 
Average. 
Max. 
Min. 
29°S. 
32 S. 
31 S. 
SOS. 
Not., Dec. 
Jan., Feb. 
Feb., March 
March 
3 Observ. . 
18 „ . 
17 „ . 
20 „ . 
102° 
97i 
90 
95 
103° 
115 
110 
105 
62" 
73 
80 
84 
" At this time the dryness must also be ex- 
cessive, as will have been seen by Sir Thomas 
Mitchell's observations. Even such heats as 
these do not, however, destroy the power of 
vegetation, for we find in the midst of them 
all sorts of trees in blossom, a few bulbs, and 
even here and there (in damp places, no doubt) 
such soft herbs as Goodenias, Trichiniums, 
Helichrysum, Didiscus, Teucrium, Justicia, 
herbaceous Jasmines, Tobacco, and Ama- 
ranths. During these heats the night-tempe- 
rature seldom remains high. Sometimes, 
indeed, the thermometer Avas observed as 
much as 88° and once even 97° at sun-rise, 
the average noon heat of the month being 
97|", but generally the temperature is lower. 
Thus :— 
Average 
Tem 
perature 
at Noon. 
Occasionally at Sun-rlse. 
Nov. and Dec. 
102' 
62° 
58? 
61° 
Jan. 
and Feb. 
97i 
61 
60 
59 
47° 
&e. 
Feb. 
and March 
90 
61 
59 
54 
48 
&c. 
March 
95 
68 
65 
51 
47 
&c. 
" To this point the attention of cultivators 
must be carefully directed. I think it is im- 
possible to doubt, from the observations thus 
referred to, that high winter temperature in 
hot-houses is a great mistake, and that the 
practice of gardeners requires, in this respect, 
to be very carefully reconsidered." 
THE FLOWER GARDEN OF THE POETS. 
We have introduced our readers to a number 
of the minor poets as they appear contem- 
plating those bright pages in the J3ook of 
Nature Avhich display the various and bril- 
liant beauties of the Flower Garden. They 
all loved to linger among the rich gifts of 
Flora, and their language often acquires a 
double sweetness from the associations which 
it raises. Turning from them to those lofty 
and gigantic minds whose dimensions were 
equal to the grasp of the mightiest subjects, 
— the pinnacles, as we may call them, of the 
great city of poetry, — we find them direct- 
ing their gaze towards the humblest and low- 
liest of those numerous oi'naments which 
spangle the surface of the earth, which bloom 
