372 
THE FLORIST. 
spreading itself over the entire surface. With some specimens it 
was not until late in the year 1839 that the edges of the leaves 
became green, others recovered more quickly ; and excepting 
losing the extreme points of the shoots of some of my trees, 
nearly all recovered, while my neighbours’ trees of similar kinds 
were grubbed up and lost. The last winter was even more severe 
in its effects than that of 1838 ; and as since that period the in¬ 
troduction of Coniferm and evergreen shrubs has greatly increased, 
our losses have been correspondingly great. I, however, allowed 
all my trees to stand, to see what power they possessed to regain 
that vitality, which although I felt sure was quite destroyed in 
many instances, might only be paralyzed in others, and hence sus¬ 
ceptible of recovery. I have a number of the Italian Cypresses 
which to all appearance were dead, and finding the bark quite 
black down to near the ground, I gave them up for lost, but still 
allowed them to stand ; to my great delight, in June, I observed 
the bark of some of them was regaining its green appearance, and 
soon after a number of the trees produced several live shoots from 
the mass of dead spray, and this living growth has spread itself so 
far upwards, that the trees are green to within two feet of their 
tops ; but as these parts were quite soft and unripe, I do not 
expect they will regain their vitality ; others worse injured are now 
commencing a similar growth, and I see that, with only one excep¬ 
tion, the bark of the rest—dead, so far as we could discern in the 
spring—is becoming green, and I am in hopes all, with probably 
one exception, will yet revive, although they may not entirely 
recover themselves until next season. I mean if the next winter 
is severe to cover them with a double tiffany-screen, as a second 
frost of any intensity may kill them outright in their present weak 
state. Bays, Evergreen-oaks. Arbutus, and several species of 
Mexican Junipers, and other evergreens, are gradually recovering, 
as are most of my Cupressus Macrocarpas, though I fear some 
are dead. 
When recovery takes place, I conclude the frost has not pene¬ 
trated to the centre of the plant, and consequently the sap-vessels 
then are uninjured ; and as the sap-vessels in the roots are also 
preserved, when the season for growth arrives the upward flow of 
sap takes place as usual, and gradually forces itself upwards, filling 
the cells, to all appearance dead, with a living fluid, and spreading 
itself horizontally to the outer bark. I observe the progress of this 
new life upwards is gradual^ which may arise from its having to 
reorganize the cells through which the sap must pass upwards ; but 
whether I am right or not the phenomenon is a curious one, and 
worthy the attention of physiologists. One thing is certain, 
vegetable tissues, to all appearance dead and incapable of per¬ 
forming their functions, revivify and regain that power supposed 
to have been destroyed. 
The effects of frost on the same species of plants affords 
striking evidence how even the same batch of seedlings will differ 
in their power of withstanding the effects of cold. I liave a large 
