448 The Journal of Forestry. 



The Price of Timber in Hants. — In North Hants and South Berks th 

 timber trade is not so buoyant as it has been. Felled timber is more difficult 

 to dispose of, and much of the timber which has been already purchased hangs 

 heavy on the wood merchants' hands. Stripped oak is selling at from lOd. to 

 Is. 6d. per foot for trees averaging 7 to 18 ft. each. Of course the larger the 

 average the better the price. Ash from Is. 6d. to 2s. ; beech from Is. to Is. 6d. ; 

 elm same as beech; larch from Is. to Is. 3d. Small trees of inferior quality 

 8d. to lOd. ; Scotch and spruce from 9d. to lOd. These prices do not include 

 haulage to the railway station. — liar go Bay. 



Sycamore Timber. — The timber of the sycamore tree, Acer 'pseudo- flat anus, 

 is extensively employed in Lancashire in the construction of the heavy rollers 

 used by calenderers and cloth-finishers, and when of a size suitable for that 

 purpose, 18 inches or more of cjuarter girth, it is in much demand, and 

 realizes good prices. The boles of four moderate-sized trees, containing in all 

 200 cubic feet of timber, averaging 20 inches in the quarter girth, were lately 

 sold on the Earl of Wilton's estate, of Pilsworth, near Bury, at 28. 6d. per foot, 

 realizing the handsome sum of £25 for the four trees, without taking into 

 account the limbs or large branches, which are used in the manufacture of 

 bobbins, &c., and realize]^a paying price when sold for that purpose. — D. D. 



Large Trees. — Attention has been directed to the extraordinary growth of 

 trees in various parts of Scotland. At Springkell, in Dumfriesshire, says the 

 Dumfries Courier, there are some remarkable silver firs. Twelve of the 

 largest trees measure from 80 ft. to 115 ft. high, and girth at 5 ft. up from 

 10 ft. 8 in. to 13 ft. 9 in., their cubical contents varying from 180 ft. to 520 ft. A 

 few years ago a silver fir at Southwick, near Colvend, Kirkcudbrightshire, was 

 159 feet high, 16 ft. 10 in. at 3 ft. up ; and another on the same estate 134 ft. 

 high, with a girth of 15 ft. 3 in. Besides these, there are several other fine 

 silver firs on the Southwick estate about 12 ft. in girth. Though walnut trees 

 never attain the height of the silver fir, their dimensions are not less worthy 

 of notice. One of the finest specimens in Scotland is at Eccles, Dumfriesshire, 

 and is 63 ft. high, girth at base 22 ft., and at 12 ft. up 13 ft. girth. Another 

 at Gordon Castle, Banff'shire, stands QQ ft. high, and 11 ft. in girth at 3 ft. from 

 the ground ; and at Altyre, Morayshire, there is one 62 ft. high, with a trunk 

 4 ft. in diameter. At Blair Drummond, Perthshire, there is one 75 ft. high 

 and 13 ft. 7 in. in girth at 2 ft. up. 



Poisoning of Cows by Yew. — M. Hartenstein records an important case 

 of poisoning by Taxus baccata, as coming immediately under his own observa- 

 tion. Last April a herd of seventeen cows were driven a distance of twenty- 

 four miles in search of fresh pasturage, the time occupied by the journey 

 extending over eleven hours. On arrival at their destination the pasturage 

 sought for was not obtainable, and for want of better accommodation the 

 animals were placed for the night in an empty garden, surrounded by yew. 

 In the morning the four finest cows were found dead, and three others died 

 immediately afterwards : the remaining ten were quite well. On examining 

 the garden the leaves of the yew bushes were discovered cropped all round. 

 Post-mortem examination showed the bodies distended, the eyes dim, the 

 nostrils clogged with blood and mucus, the liver literally looks as though it 

 had been thrown into boiling water, and the small intestine for a distance of 

 three yards almost black. The rumen was discovered full of green herbaceous 

 matter, in which pieces of yew wore easily recognised. It is supposed that the 

 ten surviving cows, being older than the rest, had at once lain down to rest on 

 reaching the end of their journey. — Land and Water. 



