190 THE TEEES OF THE WOOD. 



Berks, are unique in appearance, being very curious pollard trees 

 of a great age and girth ; many interesting stories are associated 

 with them. In the parts of Bucks where the Beech especially 

 abounds, it is frequently over too ft. in height. There are also 

 noble trees in the parks and woods of Yorks., and in the stately 

 avenues of the far-famed Dukeries, on the borders of Yorks, Notts, 

 and Derbyshire, where park joins park, and long vistas of tree- 

 lined paths delight the eye of the nature lover. In Scotland 

 several fine specimens of Beech are met with, and one near 

 Edinburgh has a very massive trunk. 



But it is impossible in a brief space to enumerate the various 

 large examples to be found in different parts of the country, as 

 the tree is so commonly cultivated that there is scarcely a district 

 or park in the kingdom which does not possess fine or well-grown 

 specimens ; some noticeable for the splendid height and erectness 

 of the trunk, and others for their uncommon girth or extensive 

 spread of the branches. 



With regard to the circumference of trees it should be noted 

 that there is much uncertainty about the various measurements 

 frequently given. Some are evidently taken too near the base, 

 and in that case it can scarcely be called the true girth of the trunk. 

 When possible, that is when the lowest branches do not start from 

 too low a point, the measurement should be taken at a distance 

 of from 3 to 5 ft. from the ground, which distance should always 

 be carefully stated. 



As an ornamental tree the Beech has the highest claim on our 

 attention. First, the uncommon beauty of the trunk, with its 

 thin smooth bark of a changeful grey, white and sparkling in the 

 sunlight, interspersed with patches of vivid yellow-green lichen, 

 forming most picturesque effects of light and shade ; and 

 secondly, from the unusually graceful sweep of its long and 

 slender branches, turning upwards towards the extremity, their 

 lovely curves intercrossing and interwining together. It is beauti- 

 ful as a winter study, when the lanceolate buds stand out in sharp 

 outline, but more beautiful still in spring-time, clothed in the 

 freshest and purest of greens ; its shining, deep green foliage and 

 ample shade in summer, and the rich tints of autumn, are also 

 striking features in every landscape. 



