480 TRANSACTIONS AND PROCEEDINGS OF THE [Sess. kvii. 



2h inches, we get the following number of rings in each 

 space : — 



Adding the liberal allowance of 14 years for growth 

 up to 6h feet, we got 130 years for the age of the 

 tree. Its girth was 15 feet inches, but must have been 

 considerably more before the gap was made. Taking it, 

 however, at only 16 feet, and allowing but 5 years for 

 growth up to 5 feet, we establish the fact that a beech 

 mcnj attain 16 feet in girth at the narrowest part of the 

 stem within 130 years, thus growing throughout at the 

 annual average rate of 1-53 at the very least. The figures 

 also show that the rate did not fall off till the tree was 

 about 15 feet in girth, and Sir Eobert ascertained 1)y 

 annual girth-measurement that at the end of its career, 

 and in spite of the terrible injury, the tree was still 

 growing at the rate of fully an inch annually. This result 

 is so far confirmed by Mr. Marsham's two beeches (1 a), 

 which grew at the rate of 1-50 for 35 years. 



Valuable assistance in estimating the age of the New- 

 battle beech is obtained from l*rof. Walker's measurements 

 in 1789. He describes "the large beech at Newbattle 

 Abbey, standing on the lawn behind the house," as vigorous 

 and healthy, with an immense head, a span of branches of 

 89 feet, and a girth of 17 feet at 4 feet up. It is now 

 23 feet 1 inch at the same height, showing a growth of 

 6 feet in a century, or at the average annual rate of 0*72 inch. 

 But from what we know of its present form, the stem must 

 have had much the same girth, at 6 feet 6 inches, a century 

 ago, as the Craigiehall stem had at the same height. Thus 

 we get 130 for the possible age of the Newbattle beech in 

 1789, and adding the 103 years to 1892, 233 for its 

 'possible present age. 



Admitting that the rate of the Craigiehall tree is quite 

 extraordinary, and making an estimate from our more 



