486 TR.\XSACTIONS AND I'KOCEEDINGS OF THE [Sess. lvii. 



Sir E. Christison, 1879 ; re-measured by Sir li. Menzies, 

 1892, at 5 feet up. 



6. Old chestnuts at 5 feet up. 



SiTUATIOX. 



PoUoc, llenfiew, . 

 Dumbaniey, Perth, 

 Ardgarten, Dumbarton, 

 Hevingham, Norfolk, . 



Authority. 



Mr. Hutchison's Table 



do. do. 



Sir R. Christison, 1871) 

 Mr. R. IMarsham, 1780 



From the above data the Spanish chestnut appears to 

 be a quick grower, even when of very considerable size. 

 The age of the Kirkconnel trees seems perfectly well 

 ascertained from family records, and if we construct a 

 scheme for the age of the deceased Finavon giant, 30 feet 

 in "irth at the narrowest, founded on tlie rate of the most 

 vigorous of these, and on that of the Ardgarten tree, sup- 

 posing the rate of the Finavon tree after passing the size 

 of the Ardy-arten one to be reduced to one-half of that of 

 the latter, we get the following : — ■ 



Size. 



to 192 im-hi's 

 192 to 240 ., 

 240 to 248 ,, 



Rate. 



1-47 

 1-00 

 0-60 



No. of 

 Years. 



130 



48 

 10 



Possible least age (jf Ardgarten tree, 188 

 248 to 368 inches 1 0-30 I 400 



Possible age of I'iiiavon tree, 



588 



This estimate, however, is founded on the theory that 

 a very large tree, 30 feet in girth, would begin to grow 

 slowly at the same size as that at which a tree never 

 exceeding 20 feet in girth began to grow slowly. ]]ut is 



