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110 HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY OF TREES. PART I. 
At Tollymore Park, in the county of Down, planted by the 
Earl of Clanbrassill, and now the seat of the Earl of Roden, there 
are some very fine trees. The soil and situation, the first ridge 
of the Mourne Mountains, appear to be particularly suited to the 
larch and silver fir. From a considerable number, of almost 
equal magnitude, measured for us by desire of Lord Roden, we 
select one silver fir, planted 60 years ago, which is 84 ft. high; 
the diameter, at 1 ft. from the ground, 5 ft. 2in.; at 10 ft., 4 ft. ; 
and at 24 ft., 3 ft. 3in.; it is beautifully and evenly clothed with 
branches, the lower tiers of which are pendent to the ground, 
and the circumference of the space which they cover is 160 ft. 
The larch of 'Tollymore Park is in much estimation for its great 
tenacity, and it supplies masts of from 50 ft. to 60 ft. in length. 
As a selection from a great number, we take one tree, which, at 
80 years of age, is 84 ft. high; the diameter, at 1 ft. from the 
‘ground, 2 ft. 8 in.; and 10 ft. from the ground, 2 ft. 3 im: 
another tree, at 60 years of age, is 66 ft. high; the diameter, 
at 1 ft. from the ground, being 3 ft.; and at 10 ft. 2ft. 3 in. 
Among numerous fine specimens of shrubs introduced by the 
late Lord Clanbrassill, there is a Rhododéndron ponticum, which, 
at 50 years of age, is 10 ft. high, and covers, with its unbroken 
mass of foliage, a space the circumference of which is 90 ft. 
The larch at Tollymore Park is grown on the side of a steep 
hill facing the north, on a stiff gravelly substratum, which corre- 
sponds with the natural situation in which the larch is found in 
Switzerland, as stated by Decandolle in the Quarterly Journal of 
Agriculture, vol. v. p. 403.; and with the situations in the neigh- 
bourhood of Dunkeld, where the best larch is grown by the 
Duke of Athol, as stated in the account of these plantations 
in the Transactions of the Highland Society of Scotland, vol. xi. 
p- 165. to p. 219. Monteath, the Scotch forester, we are informed 
by Lord Roden, and also by another correspondent, considers the 
Tollymore larch as very superior in quality to the sna 
the Scotch or Welch larch. Lord Roden states that he uses it 
for all purposes whatever, and that for forming utensils it is 
found an excellent substitute for ash. The trees are generally 
felled at the age of 70 years. The rhododendrons are scattered 
through the woods; they are found fully as hardy as the com- 
mon laurel, and many of them have attained a large size. There 
are many specimens of Abies excélsa var. Clanbrassillzdna, but 
none of them remarkable. as 
At Dundalk, also the property of the Earl of Roden, there is 
a Magndlia acuminata 27 ft. high; the circumference of the 
stem, at 1 ft. from the ground, is 5 ft.; and at 3 ft. from the 
ground, 4 ft. 6in.; and the branches cover a space measuring 
84 ft. in circumference. There is an oak in the park 60 ft. high; 
the circumference of the trunk, at 1 ft. from the ground, is 15 ft.; 
