b THE POLLOK WYCH ELMS. 



standing almost by balance, and drawing any little sap they were 

 taking from the soil by several young roots, the strongest not more 

 than 2\ inches thick. 



When several members of this Society visited Pollok, on 19th 

 March, 1892, the four trees were carefully measured, with the 

 following results : — 

 Tree nearest mansion-house, at 5 ft. 5^ in. (river side), girth, 13 ft. 95 in. 

 ,, next to the above, at 4 ft. 2J in., - ,, ,, 11 ,, \o\ ,, 



,, ,, „ at 3 ft. n|in., - ,, ,, 12 ,, o£ „ 



,, „ >> at 4 ft. gin., - ,, „ 13,, i£ ,, 



A view is here given (see frontispiece) of the group from a 

 photograph by Mr. James Mitchell taken on this occasion. 



The first-named tree, which stood next the house, and is descri- 

 bed by Strutt as a tree of extraordinary health and vigour, having 

 large and luxuriant foliage, is the only one of which measurements 

 are given by him. In 181 2 it measured, at 5 feet from the ground, 

 10 feet 10 inches in circumference, and in 1824 it measured, at 5 

 feet from the ground, 11 feet 10 inches in circumference. It was 

 85 feet high, and was said to contain 669 feet of solid wood — a 

 rather erroneous estimate. It could not contain at most more than 

 three-fourths of that amount measurable wood, i.e., including all 

 branches to about four inches diameter at small ends, even allow- 

 ing it to have lost some of its large branches since then. To 

 prove how far this calculation is wrong, I may say that a round 

 log, measuring n feet 10 inches circumference all its length, 

 containing 669 feet, would require to be 90 feet long, which is 

 5 feet more than the height of this tree as given above. When 

 the tree fell it measured 92 feet long, and 13 feet 10 inches 

 circumference at 5 feet up, and 12 feet 2 inches circumference 

 at 12J feet up. It was so much decayed in the heart that no 

 attempt could be made to ascertain its age by counting the rings 

 or annual layers of wood. It divided into two leading stems at 

 25 feet from the root, and the stem up to this point contained 

 almost 200 cubic feet of wood and weighed 7J tons, and had it 

 been solid would have been over 8 tons. The whole tree contained 

 490 cubic feet measurable wood, and estimating measurement for 

 weight of all branches to about 2-|- inches diameter, it would 

 contain about 700 cubic feet. 



