LAST OF THE POLLOK WYCH ELMS. 133 
over twenty-two inches in diameter and the other almost twenty- 
one, and both made steady progress from that until they were one 
hundred and twenty years. After that, however, their growth was 
not vigorous, and judging from their general appearance they 
would be about their best, from a commercial point of view, 
between the latter age and one hundred and fifty years. 
It is necessary, however, for the purpose in view, to go into 
details, and I must ask you to imagine you see the cross-section 
of the trees, and beginning at the pith, move outwards across the 
annual rings, which are broad and regular until we pass the 
thirteenth, when suddenly there is a change. The fourteenth is 
not half the breadth of the preceding layers, and the fifteenth, 
although improved, is still deficient, but the sixteenth seems to be 
back to the usual, and each successive layer is regular, with no 
appreciable variation until we reach the twenty-ninth, which is 
considerably reduced. This, however, does not continue, and the 
next year sees the increment up to the original standard, which is 
continued to the thirty-ninth, when again there is a check, having 
a marked effect until the forty-fourth, which, however, is again 
about normal, and the growth continues so for nine or ten years, 
when there is a series of gradually-decreasing annual rings extend- 
ing to about the sixtieth. Then there is an improvement, which 
continues with no further variation until we get to the one hundred 
and twentieth year, when there is a very sudden and decided 
falling-off, far too much to be natural, and no proper recovery 
is made from that point onwards. 
It is from these vagaries in growth that I propose tracing 
something of the life-history of the trees. 
We can scarcely picture in our minds the general appearance 
of the country three hundred years ago; but we can imagine 
ourselves on the side of a nice, clear stream, where we now have 
an open sewer styled the ‘‘ White Cart,” which name, no doubt, 
suited it better when the elms were saplings on its banks. They 
had only recently been planted along with others, but there is 
also along the river bank a varying thicket of trees and under- 
growth which extends back to or probably beyond the young 
elms, and affords them shelter which, with the good soil, 
encourages a rapid growth and clean stems. When about 
thirteen years old, however, it is quite evident that something 
