REPORT ON A VISIT TO THE FORESTS OF SCOTLAND. 2] 
as the pearl of them all. It was here that I found American 
conifers in the greatest abundance and of the largest size, and the 
trees had been treated here more as one is accustomed to meet 
with them in the forests. The magnificent development of the 
different species, and the picturesque and artistic manner in 
which they were grouped, with luxuriant specimens of rhodo- 
dendrons, hollies, bay laurels, and other plants, combined with 
the beautiful velvety turf of the Scottish lawn, produced an 
impression never to be effaced. From the point of view of 
German forestry, the most interesting trees that I met with 
were,—Pseudotsuga Douglasii, or Douglas Fir; Picea sitchensis, 
or Menzies Fir; Chamecyparis Lawsoniana, or Lawson’s Cypress ; 
Tsuga Mertensiana, or Prince Albert’s Fir; Abies grandis, concolor, 
amabilis, and nobilis ; and Thuja gigantea. 
Seeing that the trees which I met with in the parks are all 
standing singly, one cannot with certainty infer from them what 
form of bole they will possess, or what diameter-growth they 
will make when grown in close woods. They do, however, give 
valuable information regarding their annual growth in height. 
Even the fine wood, about 8 acres in extent of Douglas fir, 
near Scone does not represent a satisfactory picture of the 
behaviour of this tree when cultivated under true forestal con- 
ditions. The trees had been originally planted too wide apart 
(about 10 feet square), and although they have been subjected to 
artificial pruning, their boles are not what the forester or timber 
merchant would consider satisfactory. 
Height-growth, which is an excellent criterion for determining 
the suitability of a tree for its environment, was found in all 
cases to leave nothing to be desired. In spite of the fact that 
trees, when standing singly, are incapable of growing in height to 
the maximum extent—and especially is this the case in Scotland, 
where the wind has a powerful influence—the older specimens of 
the various species have attained a height of from 60 to 80 feet. 
The trees in the Douglas fir wood, near Scone, have reached an 
average height of about 85 feet. There is no doubt that the 
above-named species thrive well in Scotland, and grow quite as 
rapidly as in their native habitat. 
Seeing that some of the more important European trees do 
not in all cases grow very satisfactorily in Scotland, I should 
recommend that the North American conifers should be planted 
