COUNTRY LIFE
ALLUSIONS to the Three Ice-men or Saints have been so numerous that they were, I feared, beginning to rival the three balls over the pawnbrokers' shops that beset the pen of Charles Lamb's colleague ; but I infer from recent correspondents that there is some dispute about their names, nature and dates ; and I am asked for a verdict. The locus classicus (first written in German) runs: Pancratius, Servatius and Bonifacius, whose names stand in the calendar against the 12th, 13th and 14th of May, have popularly been called " Eismanner in Southern Germany and Austria." Our English climate is much better than the German ; but Bold spells are wont to be experienced very much at the same time all across Europe away from the sea, and without reference to this Austrian belief, Buchan set down approximately these dates as a period of unseasonable cold. He had some justification, but exceptions are nearly as numerous as instances. Anyhow, it happens rarely that fruit suffers much from frost after the second week of May, even though disastrous Jane frosts have been recorded. The exceptional acreage of early potatoes increases this year the fear of late frosts. Few plants are more susceptible. I have known a garden crop to be completely saved from damage by *atering the tops before the sun thawed the frosted leaves.
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