152 



Through all stages thou hast push'd; 



Of treeship— first a seedling, hid in gi-ass ; 

 Then twig ; then sapling ; and as cent'ry roU'd 

 Slow after century, a giant bulk 

 Of girth enormous, with moss-cushioned root 

 Upheaved above the soil, and sides embossed 

 With prominent wens globose— till at the last 

 The rottenness wliich time is charg'd to iatUct 

 On other mighty ones found also thee." 



Are they Druidical ? Well, they seem to inclose in double semicircle, thfr 

 northern side of a gi-een open space some 60 or 70 yards in diameter. No trace 

 of trees of a similar character on the southern side exist, and perchance it may 

 be that too much sunshine has destroyed them early, as too much prosperity 

 is apt to carry off creatures who should better know how to guard against it. 

 There ai'e but some half-dozen of the old, old trees remaining, and all of the 

 true pedunculate variety. The tape gave theii' measurements at 5 feet from 

 the ground 19ft. 4in., 18ft. Gin., 25ft. (hoUow and open), 23ft. (covered with 

 excresences), 23ft Sin. (the same), and one was too divided to measure at all, 

 and the largest bough of another, alas ! lay rotting on the ground. 



A walk over a covered bridge led to the fernery and flower garden. 

 Here the quaint box edgings of our forefathers are still carefully cultivated. 

 Here, on the lawn, too, was a beautiful specimen of the Deciduous Cypress, 

 Taxodium distichum, whose feathery foliage is so very ornamental. Its trunk, 

 at 5ft. from the ground, measured 4ft. Oin. in circumference. 



The pleasure grounds, stretcliing for nearly half-a-mile on the steep bank 

 of the Teme, were next visited, and many of its beautiful trees measiu-ed and 

 greatly admired. The most striking feature of the grounds, perhaps, was the 

 tail straight boles cf so many of these trees, which give that dehghful aerial 

 shade so charming in our hot summer days. A Spanish Chestnut, though only 

 some 11 or 12ft. in circumference, had a stem some 40 or 50ft, high, without a 

 bough or an imperfection. Two SUver Spruce Firs were said to be 120ft. high, 

 and looked it ; they mcasui-ed lift. lin. and 12ft. lin. respectively. There were 

 two very perfect specimens of Pinus cembra growing well, measuring Cft. 4in. 

 and 5ft. lOin. respectively. Two beautiful trees of the Pinus Douylasli as 

 ornamental as fancy can picture, measured 7ft. lOin,, and 6ft. 6in., respectively 

 at 2 feet from the ground. Then the tape went round a Scotch fir of 10ft. 2in., 

 a lime tree of 13ft. 3in. ; an ash of 13ft., and some other trees that space fails 

 us !o ' numerate. In the grounds is a Maze with privet hedges having in the 

 centre a fine 18ft. si^ecimen of the Wellingtonia gigantea, which they who 

 woxild admire in close contact must walk many paces to reach, and be fortunate 

 if when half way they don't find that they have taken the wrong road. The 

 shades of evening were rapidly approaching— the slight shower which fell here 

 had passed off — the carriages were qmckly gained — and so in due time was 

 Ludlow reached, .and the late train carried off the last of the Woolhope members 

 to their several homes. 



