32 
The route now turned sharp up the steep hill for some distance, 
till the High Glen Drive was reached. It runs along the face of 
the Bin Hill, through a Scots pine wood, at a height of about 
300 feet, affording a splendid standpoint from which to obtain fine 
prospects and far distant views of the Deskford district. The first 
object of interest met with was a magnificent silver fir, feathered 
to the ground, and of an almost perfect cone shape. Its stem 
measured 13 feet 9 inches in girth, and about 100 feet high, its 
massive trunk dividing into four tree-like branches as it neared 
the top. Not far distant on the left was seen an arboreal 
curiosity, in two young trees growing about 10 feet apart uniting 
into one, and forming an arch of about 6 feet in height. After 
passing on the left a plantation of natural-grown birches, the 
route entered the Grand View Drive, situated on the Little Bin 
at a still higher altitude, from whence an extensive and picturesque 
panorama of the surrounding country burst into view. Reaching 
Woodside Lodge, one of the ten entrances to the extensive policies, 
a splendid view was obtained of The Bin, with the monument on 
its top. From hence the route lay along the Rannas Drive, a 
beautiful avenue of five miles in length, running through a richly- 
wooded valley, picturesquely studded with many fine trees of Scots 
pine, larch, silver fir, and other sylvan denizens of the forest. 
After proceeding along this drive for a short distance, the 
carriages turned off sharp to the left, and passing along the Deer 
Park Drive through rich woodlands and open pastures, the exten- 
sive kitchen and fruit gardens were soon reached. Here Mr 
Fraser Smith took the party in hand, and conducted them over 
the various hothouses and other structures for growing flowers 
and fruits, which were all in fine order, and well filled with the 
best kinds of plants and fruits. A glance through the kitchen- 
garden showed it to be skilfully managed and admirably cropped. 
In walking through the gardens, it was remarked how abundantly 
_ figs were produced on the trees on the walls in the open air, 
where they ripen freely in ordinary seasons, a fact that fully 
demonstrates the extreme mildness of the winters in this 
northern part of Scotland. 
Leaving the fine garden, the Members proceeded towards the 
flower-garden, passing on their way through beautiful shrubberies, 
with a fine sheet of water in their midst, and from the top of 
Broomaleery Brae a beautiful bird’s-eye view was obtained of the 
mansion, richly embosomed in the woods. The flower garden lies 
