317 



but though several of its branches bear out well the description given of their 

 weeping character, the upper branches now take so much of the ordinary type 

 of the oak as to cause some little disappointment. 



Some other Oaks came next near the drive, 13ft. 4in. , 12ft. 4in. ; 12ft. 9in. ; 

 until at the eastern end of the pond the Oaks took on again their gnarled 

 form, and measured 20ft.; lift. 2in.; loft. 3in.; and 15ft. llin. Continuing 

 by the drive the next figures are 17ft. 7in. ; 13ft. 9in.; and the Golden Bough 

 Oak 16ft. llin. This oak was so named from the fact of one of its boughs 

 presenting yellow foliage every spring, but it bas, however, ceased for some years 

 to do so. The next trees girthed 17ft. 9in.; 15ft. 10in.; 16ft. 7in.; hollow ; theu 

 two by the ditch 14ft. and 16ft., and two others near the end of the drive, 16ft 

 5in. and 17ft. 7in. 



The Mistletoe Oak on the Moccas Estate is situated in the parish of 

 Bredwardine, about half-a-mile west of the Park. It was discovered a few 

 weeks ago by Sir George H. Cornewall, Bart., when engaged with his steward 

 in marking trees for felling. It grows in the hedgerow of a field called the 

 "Lower House Meadow.'' It is a thoroughly mistletoe-possessed tree, for the 

 mistletoe was observed to be growing in fifteen different places, five of them near 

 the central axis of the tree ; but the tree nevertheless is in a very vigorous state, 

 and does not seem to be injuriously affected by thf parasite. The circumference 

 of the bole at 5ft. was lift. 6in., the height of the tree 78ft., and the diameter of 

 its spread of foliage 80ft. The largest bunches of mistletoe are on the lowest 

 branch of the tree on the eastern side, as is well seen in photograph. The variety 

 of the Oak is Quercus pedunciilata, and of the Mistletoe Viscum album fcemineum. 

 This tree makes the tenth known example of a Mistletoe-hearing Oak, and it 

 is a far larger and finer tree than either of the three others in this county. 



The question of the age of this tree was discussed whilst the photographer 

 was carrying on his preparatory man ; pulations. The Rev. R. Blight, who was 

 present, had made some observations on the growth of young Oak, and had found 

 that the results did not differmuch from those given by De Candolle in his table. 

 He thought the age of Oak trees could be calculated roughly by allowing five years 

 for every inch of the radius of trees that did not exceed 3 feet in diameter, and 

 six years for every inch of trees not exceeding 4ft. 6in. Por example, take this 

 Mistletoe-oak. Its girth is lift. 6in., divided by 3ft. l-7th, gives the diameter 

 43 '9in. , which may be called, for simplicity, 44in. ; the half of this diameter gives 

 the radius 22in., which multiplied by 6 gives the age of the tree as 132 years. 



Sir George Cornewall thought this allowance too liberal : he had counted 

 the rings of trees nearly as large as this and made them under 100. Dr. Bull 

 thought the present fallage would give a good opportunity for further observa- 

 tions ; and your Commissioner would have agreed with him, but the photographer 

 called out "attention ! " and the picture was taken. It is as well to say that 

 the leaning tree in the picture, to the left of the Mistletoe Oak, had " No. 127" 



