BEECHES IN SCOTLAND. 175 



Winning Wood,Dunglass,Blairdruinmoud,and many other districts 

 •of Scotland, where large and fine specimens exist in quantity, and 

 in luxuriant foliage, at the present day. We must accordingly 

 look upon the examples of Walker and other early writers as 

 very likely to be contemporaries pointing to a more remote period 

 of introduction, dating probably back to the years from 1540 to 

 1560. 



These remarkable beeches mentioned by the earlier writers 

 referred to, are all single or standard specimens, and appear to 

 have been selected for their several sites solely with a view to 

 ornamental or picturesque effect. 



Indeed, the adaptation of the beech for such purposes seems to 

 have been very prevalent w^th its planters about the beginning 

 of the 18th century, to which date are to be ascribed most, if not 

 all, of the stately and imposing avenues and " walks " or " rides " of 

 beeches, which are the glory and beauty of many sylvan retreats 

 at the present day. Many of the dimensions of the most notable 

 of these grand objects of landscape gardening are given in the 

 appendix to this report, and a comparison of their girths and 

 lengths of bole are deeply interesting, and a brief reference to 

 some of these particulars may here be made. At Logie-Almond, 

 Perthshire, the old main approach to the mansion-house runs 

 through a fine old avenue of beech, lime, and elm trees, and 

 is perhaps one of the finest old avenues in Scotland. Through 

 the kindness of Mr William M'Corquodale of Scone Woods 

 we have been able to give the particulars of two of the best 

 beeches in this avenue in the appendix, and it will be seen that 

 they girth respectively, at 5 feet from the ground, 15 feet 3 inches 

 and 11 feet 9 inches, with massive boles of nearly 30 feet in 

 length. These noble specimens have been hitherto unrecorded. 

 While Morayshire generally abounds in fine examples of beech, 

 the trees at Brodie Castle are worthy of special note. The prin- 

 cipal approach leading to the castle is lined on each side with a 

 row of beeches, forming an avenue of rare grandeur in summer, 

 when in full foliage. There are also many fine Liwn specimens 

 of large size. These trees were planted between the years 1650 

 and 1080, and are growing in a black sandy loam, on a subsoil 

 of white sand and clay. Two of the largest and finest of the 

 Brodie trees girth respectively 1-i feet 8 inches and 18 feet 

 at 1 foot, and 11 feet 9 inches and 15 feet 3 inches at 3 feet 

 above ground. Another beech at Earlsmill, on the same estate, 

 and mentioned by Sir T. Uick-Lauder as girthing, in 1812, 15 

 feet at 3 feet from the ground, now measures (1879) 17 feet 

 10 inches at 1 foot, 16 feet 3 inches at 3 feet, and 15 feet 11 

 inches at 5 feet from the base. Sir T. Dick-Lauder, in a ]\IS. 

 note on a volume of Walker's "Essays," whicli had been in his 

 possession, states that " another beech at Elgin, iu a garden, is 



