264 The Plant World. 



reaches. Grass and sedges were not very luxuriant; bracken 

 occurred in masses, especially near the base of the mountain, 

 where it was harvested and carefully dried, for what purpose we 

 did not learn. As well as could be determined by the aid of a 

 good glass, the other mountains were provided with a similar 

 covering of plants. As on the other uplands visited, the raising 

 of sheep is here nearly the only occupation of the farmers. This 

 fact may explain in whole or in part the lack of shrubs on the 

 mountains. 



From Westmoreland, we drove south not a great distance 

 from the coast through a very disagreeable colliery district to the 

 neighborhood of Liverpool where we turned inland and crossed 

 middle England in a fairly direct line to Oxford, passing en 

 route through Lichfield, where Erasmus Darwin lived, Coventry, 

 and Stratford-on-Avon. 



At Oxford, as at Cambridge and Glasgow, we visited the 

 colleges and the botanical museum and garden. In the garden, 

 among other foreign trees, are several conifers familiar to Amer- 

 icans, such as the big tree, the redwood, the Monterey cypress, 

 and the Port Orford cedar. The museum, inadequate in size, 

 is being replaced by a large one, which, when completed, doubtless 

 will be adapted to the needs of a large department. 



From Oxford the way lay over the downs of Berkshire to 

 the Salisbur}' plains and to Salisbury. The downs recall the 

 moors of the north, in that they are hilly, but are unlike the 

 moors in that they are arable and are the seats of large farms. 

 No large plantings were observed, and few trees grew by the road- 

 side. The plains were also rolling, but trees were more numerous 

 and occasionally small plantings were seen. Near Salisbury are 

 the ancient stone circles of Avebury, said to be the largest in 

 England, and Stonehenge, which lie on the open .plain and com- 

 mand extensive views. From the supposed use of the circles 

 it seems probable that anciently, as now, the plains were treeless, 

 so that the views from them in those times might have 

 been unobstructed. 



From Salisbury, "Old Sarum," we went through the north- 

 ern edge of New Forest, which is said to owe its origin to William 

 the Conqueror, where for several miles we drove through the 

 heavy oak and beech woods, the most extensive, perhaps, in 



