24 
the walk, was seen a handsome young specimen of Abies nobilis 
that had lost its leading shoot twelve years ago, when about 
5 feet high. A side shoot was then tied up to the broken stem 
by Mr Dundas, and it has so completely taken the place of the 
original shoot that it was impossible to identify the exact point 
from which the side shoot had sprung. The tree has now a 
shapely stem fully 25 feet in height. A fine tree of Abzes 
Albertiana, in the bottom of the ravine, was thriving luxuriantly, 
and upwards of 50 feet high; while an Abies Pinsapo, near the 
top of the bank, was a beautiful example of a slower-growing 
conifer, about 15 feet in height, and 10 feet in diameter of 
branches. 
Approaching the gardens, the party were met and heartily 
welcomed by Mr Colin M‘Taggart, who has been gardener at 
Arniston for about thirty years. Under his guidance the 
visitors inspected the flower-garden, lawn, and shrubberies, all 
in a perfect state of keeping, and displaying much skill and 
taste in their management. Among the first objects on the 
lawn to attract attention was a grand old specimen of the Cedar 
of Lebanon, with a wide-spreading, umbrageous head overhanging 
the pretty burn that wimples, as clear as crystal, through the 
lawns, and loses itself beneath the shrubs in the glen. The 
massive stem of the cedar girthed 17 feet at 5 feet up, and the 
branches were bearing numerous cones nearing their full size. 
Should these cones ripen fertile seeds at this high altitude, over 
500 feet above sea-level, it will be a notable instance of the 
beneficial influences of the past fine season. Another grand old 
cedar stood at the opposite end of the lawn—a taller tree, about 
65 feet high—with a fine stem of lesser girth, and also bearing 
cones on its upper branches. Numerous other fine trees and 
clumps of choice shrubs adorned this lovely spot, where the party 
would have lingered long had time permitted. After a glimpse 
at the tastefully arranged flower-garden, and a hurried run 
through the well-stocked and admirably-kept hothouses and 
kitchen-garden, in which the grapes, apricots, and hardy flowers 
were specially admired, the party had to make off with Mr Cook 
for a further inspection of the extensive policies. 
In a few minutes the south avenue was entered, beneath as 
stately rows of magnificent beech trees as ever graced the approach 
to a family mansion of modern times, They were considered to 
be a grand example of the skill and taste of the school of land- 
