182 BLIGHT FROM SOUTH-WEST GALES. 
South-west winds when long continued or con¬ 
ducted in narrow streams, are as I have before said 
blighting in their effects, and as we should antici¬ 
pate, gales of wind from the same quarter produce 
most evident results of the same kind when occur¬ 
ring during the time that vegetation is in full or 
partial development; if these blasts cut off the 
sprouts and leaves of evergreens in winter and 
spring, much more should they destroy the foliage 
of trees and plants when duly expanded. But, 
whereas the cold of winter would seem to assist in 
the destruction of vitality, it appears beyond the 
depth of our philosophy to unravel the mystery of 
the total destruction and indeed incineration of the 
exposed parts of many kinds of trees and plants 
during the short duration of a storm or heavy squall 
from that direction. During the wet and boisterous 
month of July, 1839, a storm of the above kind 
taking place at night, we found the sides of the 
hawthorn, bramble, elm, ash (partially), apple, and 
of very many garden trees, shrubs, and small plants 
exposed to that quarter, completely browned on 
the following morning ; sting-nettles, and some 
other wild plants, as also potatoes suffered similarly 
wherever they had not shelter by means of inter¬ 
vening high hedges or other structures. The effect 
resembled carbonization from fire or electricity, 
which adds to the surprize of its occurrence in the 
lapse of only a few hours. A less extensive blight 
of the same kind and from the same cause took 
place about a month or two prior, when the ash 
suffered much. 
The floods and rain of October and November, 
act in the economy of Nature, (which makes many 
an effect a cause for other effects, and suffers no 
effect to be an idle consequence,) by restoring to 
the earth that quantity of moisture which will in 
the future summer supply the nightly exhalations 
