262 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL mSTORT SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. 



Notes on Trees at Auehendrane, Ayr. 



By John Renwick. 



[Read 2Sth March, 1905; revised November, 1905.] 



The estate of Auehendrane is beautifully situated on the River 

 Doon, about four miles from Ayr, and a little over a mile from 

 the world-famous Brig o' Doon. It belongs to Miss Cathcart, a 

 lineal descendant of the Muirs of Auehendrane, whose name 

 occurs frequently in the history of the district. It contains a 

 number of very fine trees, interesting, not only on account of 

 their size and beauty, but from their historical and personal 

 associations and from the fact that the dates of planting of 

 several of them are known. Members of this Society have 

 visited Auehendrane on several occasions, and have been 

 courteously entertained by the Misses Cathcart, who take a 

 great interest in their trees. They are perhaps prouder of a 

 very beautiful Birch on the lawn in front of the house than of 

 any other individual tree on the estate. It is probably the finest 

 and most elegant Birch in the West of Scotland, or possibly in 

 all Scotland. In September, 1902, the trunk had a girth of 

 10 feet 8^ inches at 5 feet from the original surface of the 

 ground, or 10 feet 3| inches at 5 feet above the present surface 

 of a mound which has been raised round it. Its height at the 

 date named was 67 feet. The bole is 13 feet, and the diameter 

 of the spread of the branches 60 feet. From, the accompanying 

 illustration (Plate X.) it will be seen that it is a shapely, weU- 

 balanced, and graceful tree. 



Miss Cathcart writes that it " was planted by our mother in 

 1818, at the time of her marriage to our father, then the heir 

 of his mother, Mary Muir." It is thus 86 or 87 years old now. 

 The average rate of increase in girth for the 84 years up till 

 1902 has been 1'53 inch per annum — a great growth. For seven 



