Whin summer is waning into the paleness of autumn, and the beauties of the season have passed away, it seems unnatural to go back and dwell upon the peculiar phases and effects of a winter gone by. Events do not always readily show results: so with our last winter; a season whose effects have blighted many a hope of promise, and sent disappointments into many an enthusiastic heart.

The winter, in many respects, was a pleasant one, bringing much fine sleighing and agreeable temperature; yet it gave us four cold terms, when the mercury sunk below zero. The first of these was December 6, when it fell to 6° below zero; the last was in March, when it fell, after a warm term, to 4° below. In one of the intermediate terms in January it fell to 28° below zero, which was the severest intensity of cold we have ever known. What made this change of temperature more severe, was the fact, that it had been preceded by a thaw, and so sudden was the change, that the mercury fell 64° in less than twenty-four hours.

Another feature of the winter: snow fell on the unfrozen ground in November, and the quantity increased, so that, though the cold early in December was of unusual intensity, the ground remained unfrozen until nearly spring, unless, perhaps, in some localities where the snow was partially blown off. Hence, trees at their roots were in a moderate temperature, unchanging in the fluctuations of the atmosphere, while the trunks and branches were exposed to all the vicissitudes of climate we have before cited.

Fruit trees of all kinds came into leaf much later than usual, and it was no unusual thing to see the lower branches of pears and plums coming into full leaf while the upper branches were as barren of verdure as in midwinter. Then above a single bud might be seen bursting into leaf, while other parts of the branch looked dead. The plum, however, appears to have nearly recovered from the fatality, and though they give no fruit, the new growth of wood and richness of foliage are encouraging. Not so, however, with the cherry; many of the trees were killed outright, and gave no signs of vegetation. Others showed fruit-buds expanding, but died before they were fully developed. A few trees now show straggling signs of life by isolated clumps of verdure. Such trees are no better than dead. The woodman need not spare them for any value they possess. Those who wish for cherries had better remove them at once, and plant new, trees. We have seen but one cherry tree, the present season, that showed a tolerable prospect of being worthy of a locality among living trees, and this was a seedling not yet in bearing.