MOKTHLY SUMMARY. 7G5 



Eecord of Dimensions of Trees,— Every one admires fine 

 trees. Every one who possesses them is proud of them. Every 

 one is curious to know where the finest are to be seen. - 



A great deal of information as to this is no doubt to be gathered in 

 Loudon's Arboretum and his Encyclopaedia of Trees — in the Gar- 

 deners' Chronicle, scattered over many pages and many years, and 

 in various other isolated publications — but there is no place where 

 anything of the nature of a general statistical record on the subject 

 is to be found. Most of tlie information referred to is so old that 

 if a visitor to any spot asked to be shown some tree of great size 

 recorded by Loudon, or some sapling of rapid growth noticed in 

 the Gardeners'* Chronicle^ he would, if it were remembered 

 at all, be told that it had been blown down years ago, or lost 

 among the still more rapid growth of younger trees. A record of 

 the oldest and finest trees in this country would be a valuable 

 document; and perhaps no body is so singularly well qualified, 

 and has so many advantages for supplying the information, as the 

 Koyal Horticultural Society. It now consists of a body of gen- 

 tlemen numbering 3500, all more or less interested in subjects 

 of this kind, and comprising a large proportion of the intelligent and 

 educated proprietors of land in Britain. Their tastes lead them to 

 observe and value whatever excels or is extraordinary among their 

 trees, and if they would take the trouble to combine to record their 

 information, a mass of facts would be collected which would 

 not only be useful and interesting now, but would furnish a basis 

 from which future comparisons might be made. 



So favourable an opportunity of collecting such information 

 and rapidly dispersing it among the public has rarely occurred. 

 The monthly Journal of the Society and the Book-post now fur- 

 nish means of communication of which it seems most desirable 



to take advantage. 



The Council have resolved to avail themselves of this favourable 

 concurrence of circumstances for procuring reliable statistics re- 

 garding the finest trees in this country, as well those of recent 

 introduction as those of greater age ; and they propose to appoint 

 an Arboricultural Committee for the purpose of conducting the 

 inquiry, as well as for other purposes falling within the province 

 of such a Committee. The mode in which the inquiry will be 

 carried out will probably be by the Committee circulating, not 

 only among the Fellows, but also among the proprietors of land 

 generally throughout Britain, short schedules requesting informa- 

 tion on the following points relating to their trees, viz.— The 



