A Ramble throngJi Ro.rbiirgit and Selkirk 



473 



and healthy growth of the commoner rhodo- 

 dendrons shewed the suitabihty of the soil and 

 climate for these showiest of flowering shrubs, 

 as well as best of underwood plants ; and afforded 

 some cause for regret at not observing a more 

 profuse introduction, at least in prominent places, 

 of the liner bright crimsons and other distinctly 

 coloured hybridal varieties. Beside the mansion 

 is a considerable extent of flower-garden, in which 

 the compartments are intricately outlined and 

 embroidered with dwarf box-wood, after the style 

 which was much in vogue during the earlier half 

 of the last centuiy, and which, when well exe- 

 cuted, has still much to recommend it, where 

 the expense of labour in formation and keeping 

 is not grudged. Flowers for table and room 

 decoration are here in much demand during the 

 autumn, winter, and early spring, and MrMathie- 

 aon, who has long held the responsible situation 

 of superintendent, in shewing us through the dif- 

 ferent houses, particularized one with a northern 

 exposure, which he finds remarkably serviceable 

 for the long preservation of plants in bloom. In 

 a somewhat extensive ribbon border, we were 

 particularly struck with a long back row of an 

 old favourite, the Fumaria lutea of Linnaeus, but 

 now better known under the name of Corydalis 

 lutea. It was partly shaded from the afternoon 

 sun by an upright palling, and from end to end 

 was a dense mass about fifteen inches in height 

 by a like width, and profusely covered with its 

 bright yellow flowers, rising above its graceful 

 and delicate fern-like foliage, the former rivalling 

 yellow calceolarias in colour, while they are 

 much more freely produced in wet weather, 

 appearing till the end of autumn when unchecked 

 by hard frost, and even occasionally blooming 

 throughout mild winters ; added to which pro- 

 perty, the plant is quite hardy, and easily propa- 

 gated by either division, cuttings, or seeds. 



Crossing the watershed between the 

 basins of the Ettrick and Teviot, by the 

 road leading to Ashkirk, which here attains an 

 extreme altitude of 1105 feet, and looking in a 

 westerly direction from the higher grounds, a 

 plantation in the shape of a huge cross is seen 

 on the farm of Castleside, near the top of Woll- 

 burn, the four extreme ends of which measure 

 each about two and a-half imperial chains in 

 width, and it contains 3.532 acres. The follow- 

 ing figure represents the exact form of this planta- 

 tion ; and there is another from two to three 

 miles distant at Roughside Hill, near the 

 Hawick road, of similar form and dimensions, 

 its area being 3.559 acres, and both are on the 

 estate of Ashkirk, belonging to Cochrane, 



Esq. By shepherds in the surrounding dis- 

 trict they are looked upon as model plan- 

 tations for sheltering sheep, affording as they 

 do ample protection from whatever direction 

 storms may blow. Some may be inclined to 

 think that having a stell in the centre of each, 

 with curved entrances, so that the winds could 

 not sweep through, would be an improvement, 

 but it is cjuestionable if any advantages that 

 would be derived therefrom would compensate 

 for the additional requisite cost of fences and 

 gates. We visited the first of these, and found 

 it composed of Scotch fir, spruce, and larch, 

 about twenty-five years of age. The larches 

 had suffered severely by canker blistering, 

 from an adverse season some years since, 

 but many were recovering, while others had 

 entirely succumbed, and the whole formed 



Castleside Plantation for Sheep Shelter. 



a close mass through which we found it im- 

 possible to penetrate, many of the trees hav- 

 ing been planted within 18 inches of each other 

 at first, and the great majority at not more than 3 

 feet apart, while no thinning seemed to have 

 been done, save the cutting out of some of the 

 larches, for rendering the surrounding diseased 

 turf dyke fencible. This mass of trees was 

 thickly tenanted by wood pigeons, while the 

 enclosing turf dyke was converted into 

 a perfect rabbit warren, and the adjacent 

 ground, which had been moorland pas- 

 ture till within the last few years, was 

 occupied with a healthy crop of excellent yellow 

 turnips, the mere sight of which would have 

 delighted, or perhaps created feelings of envy 

 in any low country farmer. For purposes of 



