January 22,1891. J 
jnrmxAL of fiorticulture and cottage gardener. 
59 
I F not the most severe the present winter promises to be one 
of the longest that has been experienced during the present 
:generation. At the time of writing a change is predicted by 
meteorologists, and it may come before these lines are in print, 
/but like some other returns of mildness during the present winter 
may not last long. We earnestly hope, however, the frost will 
relax its determined, and indeed its deadly grip, for it has not only 
^been fatal to vegetation to an extent that will cause great 
inconvenience, but to numbers of the weak and ill-fed members 
of the human family. It is sad to think that such should be the 
case, but so it is, while the privations and suffering that have to be 
endured by many are very acute. Outdoor work in gardens has 
been practically at a standstill for an unusual length of time, and 
little or no trade has been done in nurseries ; and though we know 
'that in many of these every effort has been made to find employ¬ 
ment for men, even if not remunerative, the strain cannot much 
longer be borne. We are longing then for a permanent return of 
mild weather, whereby the land may be and remain unlocked, and 
• trade resumed that has been paralysed so long. 
The winter has now continued, with slight interruptions, for 
'between eight and nine weeks, as it commenced on 24th of November, 
T)uring the whole of that time there have only been ten days when 
the thermometer remained above the freezing point for twenty- 
■four hours in London. A thaw set in on 3rd of December, and 
•continued for three or four days, and there were fitful returns of 
•mildness on the 3rd and 13th of the present month, but only for a 
day or two in each case, and the frost returned with little variation 
ffrom its former severity. It has not, however, so far as we have 
observed, been so intense as during some past winters, though in 
Surrey thermometers have fallen below zero, but whether the 
instruments are correct or not we have no means of knowing. 
The severity, however, of the present winter appears to have been 
•quite as great in the south as the north, if not greater ; but this 
can only be determined by the returns from the various districts, 
•which will no doubt be forthcoming in due time. 
The past severe winters which we call to remembrance during 
a period of a little over thirty years were those of 18G0-61,1866-67, 
1870-71, 1878-79, 1879-80, 1880-81. Of that series we think the 
greatest damage was done during the first and last mentioned 
.periods, when the frost was extremely intense, thermometers in 
•several districts registering from 6° to 10° below zero, and in a few 
‘localities much lower. For instance, in 1881 17° below zero were 
registered at Arkleton in Dumfriesshire, and 22® below zero at 
Hlackadder House, as registered by what were believed to be 
accurate instruments, ordinary thermometers used in gardens being 
•extremely variable, as may be proved in a few minutes by placing 
•several in water. However, apart from such extraordinary records, 
Mr. D. Thomson of Drumlanrig found that from January 8th to 
the 17th inclusive (1881) “a mean of 24.^° of frost each day,” the 
•greatest cold being on the day last named, 2° below zero. That 
low ten days’ average sufficiently indicates the severity, and we 
are not aware of the cold being so great over a similar period 
during the present winter. 
On January 20th, 1881, we have a record of a sheep roasted 
whole on the Thames near Twickenham, and we have heard that a 
similar roasting has been successfully conducted somewhere in the 
No. 552.—VoL. XXII., Third Series. 
upper reaches of the river this year. Be that as it may, though 
blocks of ice have been plentiful in that part of the broad stream 
which flows through London, in places almost covering it, they 
have not been piled and congealed in one great rugged mass as in 
1881, and we have no desire for a return of that arctic scene in the 
City. Referring to the great frost just mentioned, Mr. J. G. 
Symons described the frost from January 12th to the 27th as 
one of the most remarkable cold periods of the century. But 
severe as it undoubtedly was, so far as our observations extend 
much greater damage was done to trees and shrubs by the 
frost twenty years before, but neither in 1860-61 nor 1880-81 
was the winter so protracted as in 1890-91, and it is this which 
renders the present winter, end when it may, so remarkable, so 
difficult for gardeners and nurserymen, and to many poor people 
so disastrous. 
Frost so continuous and severe causes not only present but 
future inconveniences in gardens, for not only in hundreds of these 
is almost every green vegetable killed that usually survives—Kales, 
Broccoli, Cabbages, Spinach and Lettuces—producing a famine in 
“ green stuff,” but it is difficult to curb the impatience as the year 
advances when awaiting the growth and maturity for use of spring 
sown crops. Gardeners feel as acutely the loss of the crops they 
have raised for winter and early spring use as can those for whom 
they were grown, and as it was beyond the power of man to 
prevent this loss the experienced and considerate will not intensify 
the disappointment by reminders of “ scarcity ” under the circum¬ 
stances. Cooks, of course, will do so, as they know little of the 
ordeal that gardens have undergone, and if they did some of them 
would press their “ wants ” the more ; but not all, for there are 
a few among the rulers of the kitchen who are reasonable. 
Gardeners also, or those of them who have not done so last season, 
will appreciate the necessity of providing a good store of such 
roots, apart from Potatoes, which are useful for winter use- 
Turnips, Carrots, Parsnips, and Artichokes are serviceable, Salsafy 
and Scorzonera often acceptable, while plenty of good Celery 
(which can be protected) for culinary purposes, also Leeks, are 
useful when frost destroys green vegetables, as during the present 
season. 
Where means and resources are ample there is no difficulty in 
maintaining a supply of Asparagus and Seakale by forcing, with 
an occasional dish of Kidney Beans, but the absence of sun has 
not rendered the growth of these easy, nor the plants productive. 
Mushrooms, too, where suitable materials and conveniences for 
growing them are provided, can be had, and many are grown under 
greenhouse stages, or in sheds where a temperature of 45° to 55° 
can be maintained, as it may be under thick litter coverings in 
cool houses. But where all the requisite forcing conveniences in 
the form of light, well heated structures for Beans and pits for 
Asparagus are provided in one garden they are absent from a 
hundred ; but more Seakale can be provided in many than is the 
case now by growing crowns where they cannot be bought, or 
buying them when they can and forcing them in pots in the dark, 
anywhere where there is sufficient heat for inciting growth. 
There has, we hear, been a great demand for Seakale roots and 
crowns for forcing of late, and in some nurseries more labour 
has been employed in packing these than all else put together, not 
even excepting seeds, on which we shall have a few words to say 
before closing this article. During a scarcity of winter vegetables 
it is, perhaps, not generally known how welcome is a good supply 
of the tender, cream coloured, succulent growths of Swedish 
Turnips, gently forced in a dark place. With good roots, topped, 
but not too closely, moisture, and a little warmth, nothing more is 
needed for producing dishes as a change from Seakale, liked by 
some persons quite as well, and by others better. It is true there 
is not space in all gardens for growing roots for this purpose, but 
where a cartload can be had from an adjoining farm the difficulty is 
removed ; and after the young growths, as thick as a man’s finger 
No. 2208 .—VoL. LXXXIV., Old Series. 
