1 
Or 
‘t The shaft and limbs were rods of yew, 
Whose parents in Inch-Cailliach wave 
Their shadows o’er Clan Alpine’s grave, 
And answering Lomond 's breezes deep, 
Soothe many a chieftain’s endless sleep.” 
There grew the wood from which was made ‘‘Clan Alpine’s 
Fiery Cross” of Scott’s ‘‘ Lady of the Lake.” The island is now 
richly wooded, the greater part being covered with very fine oak 
coppice. 
At Balmaha the party were courteously invited by Mr 
Turnbull, of Messrs Turnbull & Co., Glasgow, to visit the 
Pyrolignous Acid Works, which have been going at the side of 
the loch for more than a hundred years. The invitation was 
gladly accepted, and here, to their great delight, the Foresters 
found a chemical factory distilling valuable substances from 
peeled oak coppice wood, which abounds in the district, but 
which of late has fallen so much in value. The wood is brought 
in sailing smacks from the coppices on the shores of Loch 
Lomond, and stored here for use. After being cut into suitable 
lengths, it is put into ovens and heated to the distillation 
point, when it gives off fumes which are condensed and become 
pyrolignous acid. This, purified by lime, gives a wood spirit 
which is used in the manufacture of methylated spirits. The 
remainder of the material becomes in turn acetate of lime and 
acetate of soda. From the latter, acetic acid is made, and from 
the acid comes an acetone which is now largely employed in the 
manufacture of smokeless powder. The charcoal, no longer of 
use for gunpowder, is ground down and sold for a variety of 
purposes. After a considerable time spent in the inspection of 
those most interesting works, Mr Turnbull hospitably entertained 
the party to refreshments. 
BUCHANAN CASTLE. 
The party now set out for Buchanan Castle, the chief arbori- 
cultural feature of the day’s proceedings, under the guidance of 
Mr Murray, private secretary to the Duke of Montrose; Mr 
M‘Callum, forester on the Buchanan estates; and Mr Crosbie, 
gardener. Those gentlemen, who had met and welcomed the 
Arborists on landing at Balmaha, courteously acted as their 
guides during the afternoon, a duty which they performed in 
