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Pee. LAST OF THE: POLLOK: WYCH 
ELMS. 
By Joun Boyp. 
(Read 7th April, 1905.) 
THE “ Pollok Wych Elms” which, for many years, were a feature 
of the place, were well known to many members of this Society 
and other lovers of nature; because few who visited Pollok went 
away without admiring this group of very fine old trees, which 
stood close by the roadside half-way between the mansion-house 
and the stables. 
So far as is known the group was made up of four specimens 
of U/mus montana (wych or Scotch elm), but whether there ever 
were more cannot be certified, as there is no record or history of 
them further back than 1812. I have often thought, however, 
judging from the position of the trees that there may have been 
more originally, and before explaining let me say for the benefit 
of any who may never have been to Pollok, that the trees in 
question stood in a line, and it is from the distances they stood 
apart that I formed the idea of a greater number originally. Away 
back, many generations ago, I believe that there would be at least 
seven trees, even if the line was not prolonged at either end, which 
is also within the bounds of possibility. 
There are two photographs here, one showing the group of four 
and the other the last survivors. On looking at the former it is 
plainly seen that the trees did not stand at equal distances apart. 
As a matter of fact the two central trees stood about fifteen feet 
apart, and the two outside ones about thirty and forty-five feet, 
respectively, from their nearest neighbours. Now, it is only a 
matter of conjecture, but withal, quite permissible, to come to the 
conclusion that, in all probability, those two wider spaces were the 
sites of one and two trees at some remote time, and thus there 
would have been a line of seven standing at equal distances, but 
whether such was really the case is not likely ever to be definitely 
known. One thing about them which seems almost certain is, that 
