ON THE OLD AND IIE.MAUKABLE ASH TREES IN SCOTLANlt. 137 



trees may have been oiiiittod ; indeed, it is almost impossil)le, 

 within tlie limited time at disi)()sal tor the ])rc'parati()n of such a 

 report, to eidist the sympatliy and oxcitc the enthusiasm of })r()- 

 prietors and foresters in all the districts of Scotland, to furnish 

 materials, — each frnm his dwu estate or charge, — of every tree of 

 large dimensions worthy of record; and while, therefore, the 

 list may be thus so far imperfect, it may be li()])ed that the 

 publication of so many accurately-ascertained (bmensions of 

 existing large trees will instil a spirit of enterprise into the 

 minds of others who have not yet responded to various in([uiries, 

 so that they also may be induced, by contributing facts coming 

 under their notice, to make the list, on some future occasion, even 

 more complete than it is at present. 



There are some districts in Scotland in which, without an in- 

 timate knowledge of the saluln'ity of the local climate, one would 

 not expect to find trees of great magnitude. In lioss-shire, ior 

 example, we do not generally associate the county with a capability 

 for raising heavy timber, but returns from Brahan Castle change 

 the views on this sul)ject which may have been entertained by 

 many people. Here we find, along with other forest trees, an ash 

 110 feet in height, with a bdle of 17 feet in length, and a girth 

 of 18 feet o inches at 1 foot, and of 12 feet 8 indies at -') feet 

 above ground. This tree is growing vigorously, having increased 

 in circumference, at 1 foot from the ground, 27 inches since 

 18G3, or 1"80 inches per annum since tliat period. It grows in 

 heavy black loam, on a subsoil of sand and clay. In the park at 

 Brodie Castle, Morayshire, also, there are some fine and very 

 large tind)er trees, including ash, of which we have been able to 

 give details. These trees were ])lanted between 1650 and 1680. 

 At Keith Hall, Aberdeenshire, there are some very good s])eci- 

 mens of ash and other hard-wooded timber trees, averaging from 

 15 feet at 1 foot, to 13 feet in girth at 5 feet from the ground, 

 down to young trees, very healthy and thriving, at various alti- 

 tudes from 200 to 350 feet above sea-level, in loamy soil over 

 hard gravel, and also in bog-earthy soil over clay and till on the 

 lower situations near the river side. We take the more tr()ul)le 

 to notice this locality, and the gnjwth of old trees, of which we 

 have given several instances in the tabulated Appendix, ])ecause 

 a recent writer on the woods of Aberdeenshire, in an article 

 l)ublished elsewhere, stated that there was no old and large wood 

 in this locality "excepting a few old gean trees." Of these we 

 have ascertained that there are some seven or eight rather 2Mor 

 specimens, while there are many fine old ash and other timber trees 

 of various descriptions, besides thriving young plantations of coni- 

 ferous and nnxed hard-wooded varieties. At Gray estate, on the 

 farm of Benvie, Fin-farshire, there is a very line old ash which, now 

 growing in deep clay on a sandy subsoil, girths 27 feet at 1 foot 



