184 



We are now actually in danger of losing, throngli the mere inadvertence 

 of the landowner and planter, our most durable, our fastest growing, our 

 most productive, our handsomest English oak. Should any one doubt its 

 being really the handsomer tree of the two, I would direct him to the 

 " Monarch " oak at Holm Lacy, and the giants at Tibberton, nearly 20 in 

 number, which tower over the dwarf ped. The largest of these trees at 

 Tibberton, was estimated, about 15 years ago, to contain 28 to 30 loads of 

 timber, or about 1,100 feet, and it is still a vigorous and growing tree. 



I do not deny, far from it, that many very fine trees of the ped. species 

 are to be met with ; the various habits of trees grown from seed are infinite, 

 and here and there the ped. takes a more erect and, so far, a finer and hand- 

 somer growth than usual, as may be seen in the noble oaks in the park at 

 Moccas ; but that which I maintain is that the sess. oak stands alone as a 

 timber tree, superior to all in its glossy dark-green foliage, its handsome form, 

 its rapidity of growth, and the extreme durability of its timber ; and this 

 noble species we are well-nigh losing out of thecountry. 



Our President has kindly sent me a carefully compiled list of the finest 

 oak trees in this county — not certainly a complete one, nor pretending to be 

 so — and he has marked the species of each tree. I find in the list 31 speci- 

 mens of the pedunculata, the ordinary oak of the country, and 14 of sessiL ; 

 and if to these last we add the 19 magnificent trees at Tibberton (which he 

 does not mention, but which are probably not to be surpassed in the same 

 space anywhere in England), we have 33 fine oaks which are sessil., the rare 

 species. This circumstance is significant. 



I cannot help, therefore, appealing to the members of our "Woolhope Club 

 on behalf of this now rather scarce tree, and urging them to impress the 

 importance of propagating it upon all whom it may concern. To the 

 nurserymen the species is unknown : with them an oak is an oak, and it 

 matters nothing to them from what tree they get their acorns. The question 

 seems to me one not only of interest, but of some practical importance, for, 

 although we live in an age when iron is superseding timber to a great extent, 

 yet it never can supersede it altogether ; and probably there is now as much 

 call for oak timber as ever there was. It seems to me a matter of so much 

 importance, that I almost think I may appeal, not merely to our individual 

 members, but to the Club itself, as a Club, to advocate the planting of the 

 sessiliflora oak by such means as may lie in its power (applause). 



The Pbesident said the Club was much obliged to Mr. Key for the very 

 interesting and important paper he had just read to them. The time would 

 not ijermit them to enter into any discussion upon it now, but the best way, 

 perhaps, to call attention to it for the present would be to publish it in the 

 columns of the Hereford Tim^s newspaper, and in the transactions of the Club 

 (applause). 



The President then read the following paper. 



