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this and other carriages the party were quickly conveyed across “the great west 
plain,” as it was formerly called, to Shobdon Court. The battle of Mortimer’s 
Cross was the last battle fought on Herefordshire soil, and beyond question the 
most important. It revived the fallen fortunes of the Yorkists when at their 
lowest ebb, and placed the young victor, Edward IV., on the throne. The details 
of the battle were pointed out in passing across the field, and excited great interest, 
but this must not now be dwelt upon. 
A most cordial reception by Lord and Lady Bateman awaited the visitors 
at Shobdon Court. The grounds of the mansion were first visited, and the 
scenery presented in all directions fully admired. The grouping of the trees and 
their great variety, show the ability and taste which have been displayed here in 
the art of landscape gardening. Many individual trees were especially fine. Time 
failed to measure the girth of the magnificent oaks and splendid sweet chestnut 
trees on the approach to the mansion ; but on the lawns in front it was impossible 
to pass by some cedars of Lebanon of truly remarkable size,—one trunk broken 
short off by some dire calamity, at about 25 feet high, but with a yet perfect bole, 
gave a fair measurement of no less than 18 feet 2 inches in girth, at five feet from 
the ground. But even this tree was surpassed by one in much more perfect con- 
dition on the lower ground, for this absolutely girthed 21 feet 10 inches, at five 
feet from the ground, though lower down it was somewhat less. These trees are 
certainly the finest cedars in the county, and there is some reason to believe that 
they were planted about the year 1788, when the cedar tree seems to have been 
first introduced into Herefordshire. The beech trees at Shobdon are also very 
fine ; but alas! upon some of them, the Agaricus (Armillaria) mucidus, in all its 
elegance, met the sharp eyes of the botanists, for it but too surely indicates the 
commencement of decay. There is a very fine yellow horse chestnut (Asculus 
flavus) on the lawn, in close approximation with a beautiful deciduous cypress ; 
it is, however, only mentioned now to note how completely the tree has become 
the prey of the mistletoe. All the other trees and lawn attractions must be passed 
by, for the ‘‘ Fungus Foray” was the real purport of the gathering—indeed it had 
begun already, for several of the gentlemen were hunting like truffle dogs under 
the beech trees, 
The visitors quickly spread over the hill, the ladies and the more infirm of 
the party taking the carriages, which had been thoughtfully provided for their 
use, Lord Bateman himself acting as chief guide on horseback. All steps were 
first turned towards those well-known arches of so great an archeological interest, 
which stand in the park. It is, however, sad to see them there, exposed to the 
weather, which must sooner or later efface all memorials of that very early Irish 
school of design of which we have but few samples left. Not that the fungologists 
were sad, for here the ground was strewed all over with the orange tawny caps of 
the orange chanterelle (cantherellus aurantiacus ), which grows so gracefully and 
has usually gills of an orange colour so deep and pure, that it is impossible to help 
picking them again and again in simple admiration, Many of these plants, 
2D 
