Page:Transactions of the Natural History Society of Northumberland, Durham, and Newcastle-upon-Tyne (1867).djvu/81

Rh as we can give of the power of the heat in summer. "Seven different species of fruit-trees ripen their fruit in the southern counties, which seldom do so in this latitude: these are the vine, the fig, the quince, the medlar, the walnut, the chestnut, and the mulberry. This may be ascribed, in some measure, to the presence of cold easterly winds during the spring months, destroying the blossoms; to the low temperature of our autumns, which prevents the young wood from hardening and maturing the buds enveloping the flowers in embryo; but more especially to the want of a continuance of sufficient heat, during the summer, to bring the fruit which is occasionally formed to perfection, for all these trees withstand the winter frost tolerably well in sheltered situations. The vine seldom flowers, and if by chance small grapes are produced, they soon drop off. The fig is seldom seen out of the hot-house, or against a hot wall, and is otherwise barren, except in the south-eastern corner of Durham; and speaking generally, the same may be said of the quince and medlar. These flower freely, and the latter has ripened its fruit twice during twenty years at Jesmond, near Newcastle. The walnut and chestnut stand in the same predicament; and even the filbert bears very sparingly. The mulberry is here a low stunted tree, but in hot summers bears abundance of small fruit, which in part comes to maturity, and is well flavoured."

Respecting the shrubs liable to be killed by frost in severe winters we need not say much, as the species are very much the same everywhere, along the east side of the island, between Edinburgh and London. The following are some of the commonest, those placed early in the list being the most liable to suffer. For fuller detail bearing upon this point, and facts, showing how some of them, in cases of severe frost, have stood better in the immediate vicinity of the sea, and in slightly elevated localities, than in low-lying inland stations, we may refer our readers to two papers, by Ralph Carr, Esq., in the third and fifth volumes of our Transactions.

Laurus nobilis, Cedrus Deodara, Viburnum tinus, Cryptomeria japonica, Rhamnus alaternus, Quercus ilex, Phillyrea latifolia, media, angustifolia, Cistus ladaniferus, Thuia filiformis, Aucuba