1885.] EDITORIAL NOTES. 281 



Duke's tree," which with others were presented to the Corporation 

 by Messrs. William Fell & Co., nurserymen and landscape gardeners, 

 Hexham. This new gift to T3memouth will add much to its 

 amenity as a sea-side resort. It has already an aquarium, whilst 

 its ancient and picturesque ruin and romantic walks along the 

 sea-shore have long been prized by Xorthumbrian holiday-makers. 



The Boscobel Oak. — This famous historic oak was critically 

 inspected during last month by the members of the North Stafford- 

 shire Archaeological Society at an excursion under the guidance of 

 Mr. J. P. Eroadhurst. The true conclusion on a much-mooted 

 question appeared to be that the present oak is merely a descendant 

 of the tree in which Charles hid. Evelyn held that the Royal Oak 

 had ceased to be a living tree in 1662. And measurements made 

 by a practical woodman of the party, showed that the tree now 

 standing is still growing ; and that it is not more than 230 years 

 old. In the Bodleian Library at Oxford, a salver or stand for a 

 tankard made from a fragment of the original tree may be seen. 

 Saplings of the famous pollard which sheltered Charles were planted 

 in other places. 



SuEFACE Culture in Fruit Farming. — According to Mr. Kruse, 

 of Yew Tree farm, near Maidstone, fruit-growing best succeeds when 

 the roots not interfered with are left to multiply and interlace, and 

 so take advantage of the upper and more nutritive soil. So he 

 practically uses only the common garden hoe and the pruning-knife, 

 aided by an abundant top-dressing, mainly of bones crushed to quarter- 

 inch size. As much as from £10 to £13 per acre is yearly sj)ent on 

 manure, which is simply placed on the surface of the soil. Accord- 

 ing to a correspondent of TJlc Field, the results have this year been 

 very gratifying, as regards strawberries, gooseberries, black currants, 

 as well as apples, cherries, and damsons. 



The British Farmer and the Forestry Committee. — A writer 

 in the Live Stock Journal shows the dependence of most of our 

 edible poultry on the products of our plantations. More wood- 

 lands will include facilities for more extensive poultry-keeping. 

 The power of maintaining, in what may be termed semi-domestication, 

 useful birds, is far too little considered. Good edible game chickens. 



